National day to learn life saving techniques for choking children
Every year in Italy more than 500 children lose their lives due to domestic accidentsbecause of choking caused by airway obstruction, by drowning, in road accidents and by cot death. The Ministry of Health has chosen the April 23 as National Day on pediatric unblocking maneuvers. The role of training, prevention and awareness-raising initiatives on the issue is fundamental. Mustela, for over 70 years alongside families, has organized a three-day event, from 5 to 7 May in Milan in Via Piero della Francesca 37, on the occasion of the Milan Beauty Week, to talk about safety, prevention and health of children for who takes care of them. Title of the event “A sensory journey between well-being and naturalness”.
Pediatric unblocking, lifesaving maneuvers to learn
In this context, there are many voluntary associations that provide courses in Italy on first aid and airway unblocking maneuvers. Pediatric unblocking maneuvers are a series of actions capable of saving the lives of children who, in accidentally, ingest or inhale foreign bodies (peanuts, candies, coins, pieces of objects or toys, etc.). In fact, small objects or foods can partially or completely obstruct the airways, and if the foreign body is not removed promptly, the victim will lose consciousness in a minute and a half and, without help, respiratory and later cardiac arrest occurs.
“Safe” places, rules and habits, proof of “curious” hands
“It is essential to make the places frequented by children safe – he explains Mirko Damasco President of Salvagente, association born in 2013 to spread the destruction maneuvers and the prevention of accidents linked to the pediatric age – and it is always of great importance also to pay attention to objects and toys that could represent a risk such as removable games, batteries, coins, magnets, pen caps, balls of all types and materials, bijoux, earrings, pendants and buttons. Every parent, grandparent or educator should carefully inspect the environment in which a child sleeps, plays, feeds, and lives, being able to anticipate and avoid all possible risks and dangers.
Children suffocate in 80% of cases from food and in 20% of cases from the ingestion of objects
Attention therefore at the time of the meal: some foods are, in fact, to be considered as dangerous as candies, nuts, all spherical and round foods (mozzarella, gummy), or sticky, that they fray (like raw ham), which have a strong grip (julienne carrots) or that, even if cut, do not lose their consistency (hard pears, plums, some cookies).
First aid as a school subject. A goal to be achieved
“In Italy, no one is obliged to know the air clearing maneuvers even among the operators who have to deal with children- continues the President of Salvagente– and this makes us understand how far we are from reaching the goal. The three days conceived by Mustela to convey the themes related to prevention are important, because both the psychological reaction and the readiness of the adult and the caregivers such as parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches in front of a case of suffocation are of utmost importance. , because we don’t have more than a minute and a half to save the life of a child or a grandchild. This is why it would be a priority to include first aid as a school subject ”.
The main causes of mortality in pediatric age
The first cause of mortality in pediatric age is given by domestic accidents (e.g. intoxication and poisoning, falls from the changing table, stairs, windows, burns, crushing from furniture and cot death) and from ingesting food or objects. It is good to never leave children alone, to avoid distractions at the table, to teach children to shredfood before taking it to the mouth, because if they are not autonomous from a food point of view, then at school, they risk swallowing the bites whole, incurring the risks mentioned above. The “life-saving” courses last 3 hours to learn the pediatric unblocking maneuvers, and 5 hours for the first aid course, a really important time to invest in saving the life of a child.
From 5 to 7 May a three-day Mustela for the safety, prevention and well-being of families
On the first day of the Mustela event we will talk about neonatal massage. Parents will be taught the techniques of this practice, which is useful for the child’s physical, emotional and psychological well-being. The next day, mothers and children will be involved in a yoga course, an activity practiced in the form of a game in order to improve the elasticity, flexibility and increase the strength of the children, thus fighting all forms of stress. To close, on the last day, Mirko Damasco, founder of APS Salvagente Italia (Association of Social Promotion Salvagente), will teach parents how to clear the airways. A life-saving maneuver that in recent years, thanks to the commitment of the founder of Salvagente, is becoming part of the essential baggage of every parent.