In the United States, approximately 5,000 to 5,500 people have died from choking each year, making it the fourth leading cause of unintentional cause of death.

It is most likely to happen to young children under age 3 to age 71. Items like candy, gum, and meat are the common causes for adults to choke. For children, small toys sometimes things they find on the floor such as coins can lead to choking. Food that was cut up too big for them to swallow can also cause choking. This happens because they are still learning how to properly chew and swallow. They also have a narrow airway that can be easily blocked by food that isn’t chopped very small or is small, but not small enough such as whole grapes. Study from Safe Kids worldwide shows that among children treated in the emergency room for choking, 60% were food related overall, 13% were coins and 19% were gum or candy.

They suggest four ways to lessen the possibility of choking for infants:

1. Cutting food smaller

2. Consider your child’s age when purchasing a toy or game

3. Check the toy for any small parts or potential choking hazards

4. Keep magnets away; they are also a choking hazard

A 2025 study found that while 94.1 % of people were aware of the Heimlich maneuver, only 27.6% to 40.9% actually knew how to perform it correctly. Over 100,000 lives were saved in the U.S. alone since it was introduced in 1974. It was invented by Dr. Henry J. Heimlich, a thoracic surgeon and medical researcher. He developed the abdominal thrust technique. There are 6 different techniques: Back Blows, Abdominal Thrusts, Chest Thrusts, Self-choking Technique, Infant Technique and Unconscious Choking TechniqueDr. Henry J. Heimlich developed all these techniques.