By John Nelander Palm Beach Daily News
PALM BEACH, Fla. — You may be having dinner at a local restaurant and chatting away with friends, trying to catch up on the news of the week. Chewing your food may be an afterthought — an automatic response — until you feel a piece suddenly lodge in your throat.
Choking cases are not uncommon at Palm Beach restaurants. More often than not, the other patrons have no idea what to do and so just wait helplessly while someone calls for assistance.
That’s what happened on Dec. 12, around 7:30 p.m. when a police officer was called to a popular Palm Beach eatery on a report that a diner was choking.
The officer pulled up to the restaurant and took an AED from his trunk. An AED is an automatic external defibrillator that tells the user whether it’s necessary to administer a shock to start the victim’s heart, or whether CPR is in order.
"I was directed toward the center of the room where a crowd had gathered around a heavy-set older male slumped over in his dining chair," the officer reported. "No civilian in the vicinity was offering any assistance to the gentleman as they all just started yelling."
The officer lifted the man out of his chair and placed him on the floor. "The crowd made it nearly impossible to have any room to work as I was focused on the unconscious male and was still the only first responder on the scene." He couldn’t find a pulse. But the AED told him a shock was not necessary and urged CPR. A second officer arrived to assist with chest compressions. Then Palm Beach Fire-Rescue arrived.
They continued resuscitation efforts and put him in a rescue vehicle. "I followed the rescue unit to Good Samaritan [Medical Center] and observed the man being placed on an operating table as several nurses and a doctor were continuing to work on him," the first police officer said.
"I was present in the room when the doctor removed a large piece of steak from his throat and placed it into a container."
When the officer left the hospital, the victim was breathing on his own and, although still unconscious, "appeared to be recovering," the officer said. Police and fire rescue often respond to choking reports, especially during the season, according to Fire-Rescue Capt. John Cuomo. "Most of the calls I’ve been on have been steak," he said.
Police spokesman Fred Hess, who is trained in treating choking victims, said one of the most common causes is alcohol consumption. "It numbs the tongue," he said. "That doesn’t mean that everyone who chokes has been drinking alcohol." Other causes are poorly fitting dentures, and talking and laughing while chewing. "It’s a sign of a problem when all of a sudden someone gets up and walks away from the table. They are maybe embarrassed about it and decide to go to the men’s room.
"If that happens, it’s a good idea to ask the person. If he says, ‘I’m just going to the men’s room,’ then you know he’s all right."
Copyright 2011 Palm Beach Post
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