Customs officers use Heimlich maneuver to save choking toddler
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer's patch is seen as they unveil a new mobile app for international travelers arriving at Miami International Airport on March 4, 2015 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
U.S. customs officers are being celebrated for saving the life of a toddler who was suffering a seizure at a Baltimore airport and started choking.
Big picture view:
The child was waiting with his parents in a border patrol inspection queue at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport when he started seizing, Customs and Border Protection explained in a statement.
Timeline:
An officer quickly saw what was happening and alerted medical personnel. When two CBP officers arrived, the child was taken to a separate area where one of them realized the child couldn’t breathe and was turning blue.
Reacting quickly, the CBP personnel performed the Heimlich maneuver on the child, who is going to turn two years old soon. With five more back blows, the child vomited and officers cleared his airway so he could start breathing again.
What they're saying:
"Many of our Customs and Border Protection personnel are parents, so when they see a child in such distress it certainly has a profound effect on them that everybody wants to jump in to help," said CBP Area Port Director Adam Rottman. "We are pleased that this child and his parents will get to soon celebrate his second birthday."
What's next:
Medical personnel took the toddler to a Baltimore hospital where his condition is reported to be stable, CBP added.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from Customs and Border Protection. This story was reported from Orlando.