乳幼児にゅうようじがのど詰つまらせ窒息ちっそくで搬送はんそう 5年間ねんかんに5000人にん超ちょう 東京とうきょう消防庁しょうぼうちょう

More than 5,000 cases of infants and toddlers under the age of five choking on food and other objects and being transported by ambulance were reported in the jurisdiction of the Tokyo Fire Department over the five years up to the year before last, it was revealed for the first time.

Among them, the risk is highest for infants aged 7 to 11 months, and the fire department and others are urging caution.

Cases of infants choking on food and suffering from suffocation are occurring frequently.

The Tokyo Fire Department conducted a survey for the first time on the number of infants under the age of five who were transported by ambulance over the past five years until the year before last, and the total reached 5,528.

The highest number by age is ▽ 0-year-olds with 2,021 people ▽ 1-year-olds with 1,432 people ▽ 2-year-olds with 799 people, and so on.

Infants aged 7 to 11 months, who are starting to grasp objects and begin weaning, are at higher risk.

The place where choking occurred was the residence, such as ones home, accounting for over 90% of the total with 5,120 people, and the time period when it was most frequent was from evening to night.

Furthermore, the most common cause of choking was food and sweets, affecting 1,208 people, followed by toys, affecting 970 people.

The Tokyo Fire Department says, From around 5 months old, babies start to grasp objects and put anything they grab into their mouths.

It warns to be cautious as they may swallow large food whole or swallow something when startled.

Pediatrician: Risk of choking - severe aftereffects may remain, so caution is advised. A hospital in Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, is accepting child patients who are transported in emergencies around the clock.

According to the hospital, since they started pediatric emergency services five years ago, there have been approximately 200 transport cases due to aspiration or ingestion.

The breakdown is as follows: about 20 cases of aspiration where food and other items enter the airway, and about 180 cases of accidental ingestion where foreign objects are swallowed.

In an actual case, there was an incident where an infant accidentally ingested an electronic cigarette, resulting in emergency transportation and a few days of hospitalization.

There have also been cases where an infant swallowed a coin or another infant swallowed a chain.

Chief Director Hiroshi Saito, a pediatrician, points out that not only aspiration but also accidental ingestion poses a risk of choking and can result in severe aftereffects, so caution is necessary.

In addition, when children stuff food into their mouths quickly or look sleepy, the risk of aspiration increases.

In such situations, I think its best to take a break instead of forcing them to eat.

Choking can occur even when parents are watching right in front of them, and the situation can change in a matter of minutes, leading to cardiac arrest or brain damage before the ambulance arrives.

It is important to have prior knowledge and to check the countermeasures, they said.