A FIVE-year-old boy choked to death on his own vomit in front of his parents.
Little Ulaş Topcu was having a coughing fit on February 27 when the sick got stuck in his windpipe and he was rushed to hospital.
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Doctors did everything they could, but the youngster passed away.
He is survived by his twin brother Altay, mum Nilay and dad Ismail.
The couple conceived their sons after undergoing IVF, it is reported.
Ulaş had been at home in Erdek in the Balikesir Province, Turkey when the incident unfolded.
He was coughing so much he started throwing up, according to local media.
This became lodged in his windpipe and Nilay immediately took him to Ocaklar Health Centre, where he died.
His body was transferred to the Bursa Forensic Medicine Institute morgue for an autopsy to determine his exact cause of death.
The Erdek Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the death.
Choking is the leading cause of death for children under the age of three, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
At least one child dies from choking every month in the UK and hundreds more require hospital treatment.
They may be unable to breathe properly so immediate action is vital.
The most common signs a child is choking are difficulty breathing, speaking or coughing, and other indicators of stress, including pointing at their throat or grasping their neck.
What to do if someone is choking
Mild choking
If the airway is only partly blocked, the person will usually be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe, and may be able to clear the blockage themselves.
In adults:
- Encourage them to keep coughing
- Ask them to try to spit out the object
- Don’t put your fingers in their mouth
- If coughing doesn’t work, start back blows
In children:
- If you can see the object, try to remove it (but don’t poke blindly)
- Encouraging coughing
- Shout for help if coughing isn’t effective or the child is silent
- Use back blows if the child is still conscious but not coughing
Severe choking
In adults:
Where choking is severe, the person won’t be able to speak, cry, cough or breathe.
Without help, they’ll eventually become unconscious, so you should carry out back blows.
In children:
Back blows can be carried out on children under one year.
If this doesn’t work, chest thrusts can be started on kids up to 12 months old, and abdominal thrusts on those over one year.
Call 999 if the blockage doesn’t come out after trying back blows and either chest or abdominal thrusts.
Keep trying this cycle until help arrives.
Even if the object has come out, get medical help. Part of the object might have been left behind, or the patient might have been hurt by the procedure.
Source: NHS