Editing Choking (section)

==== Anti-choking devices ====<!--Note, there are redirects to this section name-->
Since 2015, several anti-choking devices were developed and released to the market. They are based on a mechanical vacuum effect, without a power source. Most use an attached mask to make a [[Vacuum pump|vacuum]] from the patient's nose and mouth. The current models of anti-choking devices are quite similar: a direct plunger tool (LifeVac and Willnice)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-02 |title=How to use LifeVac |url=https://lifevac.life/how-to-use-lifevac/ |access-date=2020-01-20 |website=Lifevac.life |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=[OFFICIAL] Willnice {{!}} Anti-Choking Device that Saves Lives |url=https://willnice.net/ |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=Willnice |language=en-US}}</ref>  and a vacuum syringe (backward syringe) that also keeps the tongue in place by inserting a tube in the mouth (Dechoker).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dechoker |title=How to Use Dechoker Anti-Choking Device (ACD) |url=https://www.dechoker.com/pages/dechoker-usage-instructions |access-date=2020-01-20 |website=Dechoker |language=en |archive-date=2019-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605154838/https://www.dechoker.com/pages/dechoker-usage-instructions |url-status=dead }}</ref> All  three of them have received certification, and they have been reported to be effective in real cases.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-02-03 |title=Advocates say anti-choking device saved two lives in Idaho {{!}} Local {{!}} idahostatejournal.com |url=https://idahostatejournal.com/news/local/advocates-say-anti-choking-device-saved-two-lives-in-idaho/article_4a24cfab-3261-5083-b73c-c6629cc2c790.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203001109/https://idahostatejournal.com/news/local/advocates-say-anti-choking-device-saved-two-lives-in-idaho/article_4a24cfab-3261-5083-b73c-c6629cc2c790.html |archive-date=2019-02-03 |access-date=2021-09-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Carers used suction device to save woman who choked on sausage |url=https://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/17821998.carers-used-dechoker-save-woman-choked-sausage/ |access-date=2021-09-25 |website=Kidderminster Shuttle |date=7 August 2019 |language=en}}</ref> Other mechanical models are in development, such as Lifewand,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Device |url=https://lifewand.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312021951/https://lifewand.com/ |archive-date=12 March 2022 |website=Lifewand}}</ref> which creates a vacuum by direct pressure against the patient's face. However, these products have not been well-studied in clinical trials or pre-hospital settings and literature is relatively sparse given the challenges in trial design.
<!--These claims are unsourced, and possibly "original research". Could be reinstated if reliably sourced.
The use of approved devices can provide some advantages including: ease of use, convenience in public places and events, being helpful for difficult cases (unconscious victims, disabled patients, elderly people, or when the victim is oneself), and achieving levels of pressure in suction that cannot be matched by manual methods. ''In the worst choking cases, no manual technique would dislodge the foreign object, being necessary the usage of one of these devices or a sort of surgery.'' These devices are usually placed at reach in public and relevant places.-->

A 2020 systematic review of the effectiveness of the three devices listed discovered "a more detailed review of the studies demonstrated a very low certainty of evidence for its use", and concluded that "there are many weaknesses in the available data and few unbiased trials that test the effectiveness of anti-choking suction devices resulting in insufficient evidence to support or discourage their use. Practitioners should continue to adhere to guidelines authored by local resuscitation authorities which align with [[International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation|ILCOR]] recommendations."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dunne |first=Cody |year=2020 |title=A systematic review on the effectiveness of anti-choking suction devices and identification of research gaps |url=https://www.resuscitationjournal.com/article/S0300-9572(20)30087-3/fulltext |journal=Resuscitation |volume=153 |pages=219–226 |doi=10.1016/j.resuscitation.2020.02.021 |pmid=32114068 |s2cid=211725361|hdl=1959.4/unsworks_79490 |hdl-access=free }} [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339541654_A_systematic_review_on_the_effectiveness_of_anti-choking_suction_devices_and_identification_of_research_gaps Downloadable draft.]</ref>

As of October 22, 2024, The American Red Cross has updated its guidelines to include antichoking devices which highlighted the LifeVac for its effectiveness in clearing the airway passages. The scientific analyses of the LifeVac revealed a dislodgement rate of 94% during the first attempt, 99.6% on the second attempt, and a 100% success rate on the third attempt. There has so far been no known side effects due to the LifeVac device according to these studies. According to the findings, the evaluation on PubMed records from September 2019 through March 2023 which identified nearly 4,000 documents relating to the study which was significantly lead by the document "LifeVac: A Novel Apparatus to Resuscitate a Choking Victim" which were evaluated by the Journal of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council (American Red Cross).

Some anti-choking devices like [[Act Fast Anti Choking Trainer]] are used as training devices by healthcare providers as well as schools in CPR training courses.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Actfast Anti-Choking Trainer {{!}} PDF {{!}} Survival Skills {{!}} First Aid |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/358181502/The-Actfast-Anti-Choking-Trainer |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=Scribd |language=en}}</ref>