On May 23rd, 2026 a 5 year old girl choked on chips resulting in a total obstruction. Protocol was followed. LifeVac dislodged the obstruction on its first attempt! The child's mother described the incident as follows:
“Child has a habit of chewing and pouching food in her cheek. She took a drink and responded with a small squeak, and teary/fearful eyes. Back thrusts were attempted but did not dislodge the food initially. LifeVac was used as soon as it was retrieved from our vehicle, as we were out at a gathering. Onsite EMS said that she responded well and did not need to be transported unless symptoms arose. She is doing great now! She is very resilient; after a good night's sleep, it is as if the incident never happened.
I work in the healthcare industry but have not incurred this situation at work. One other time my daughter did this exact thing at a rural lake when she was 2. It was traumatizing and quite scary as it took multiple rounds of back blows to dislodge the item but we were 45 minutes away from EMS/hospital care. My mother gifted this to us on her 3rd birthday to ease my mind as we live rurally and my children have a stay at home dad. I've always hoped this product was as 'dad proof' as it seems and after this past weekend, I know that it is. Unfortunately, after the 1st experience and lots of pre-teaching/reminders, I had hoped to never need this item, but am thankful we had it.”
Murrae R.
