Lately my Facebook feed has been inundated with very emotive video adverts aimed at parents of young children selling anti-choking devices. These devices look like an oxygen mask attached to a sink plunger. The idea is you place the mask over the patents face and pull back sharply on the handle and this creates suction, drawing the object from the throat.
Firstly, to the best of my knowledge only the Life Vac has been certified as medical equipment (not first aid) and these are retailing at around the £80 mark in the UK. The ones being advertised on Facebook range from £6 to £50 and as far as I can tell are using videos lifted straight from Life Vac’s site.
Personally, I think the Life Vac is a very niche item. Think care home with a high risk of choking and difficulty administrating first aid to the patient. While it has been certified as a medical device, the UK Resuscitation Council is still against there use in the first aid setting.
This brings us onto the devices being offered presently on Facebook. These seem to be copies of the Life Vac made in China. The information circulating within the first aid community is these devices only resemble the Life Vac, they do not have the safety device built in that prevents the creation of excessive suction when operated.
Sadly, while I have not had hands on experience with these devices, most of the cheap Chinese copies of other medical devices I have had my hands on was not good. I bought several CAT Tourniquets to use as training devices from a well-known Chines supplier. Everyone of them bent or broke on foam arms, remember these are sold as medical devices and not trainers.
I strongly recommend the first and best option for dealing with a choking casualty is having first aid knowledge (its back blows, not back pats, or back rubs). Get the training first. But if you honestly believe one of these devises is necessary then please don’t go cheap, buy the real thing.