Before giving breaths to an unresponsive choking person, you must first open and check their airway, then remove any visible obstruction you can safely reach with your fingers. This helps prevent forcing the object deeper into the airway when you give breaths.

Key step before breaths

  • Lay the person on their back on a firm surface if they are not already in that position.
  • Open the airway using the head-tilt/chin-lift maneuver: one hand on the forehead to gently tilt the head back, two fingers under the chin to lift it. This straightens the airway.
  • Open the mouth and look for an object after chest compressions (in a CPR cycle); if you see something, carefully remove it with your fingers, but do not do blind finger sweeps.
  • Only once the airway is opened and any visible obstruction is removed should you attempt rescue breaths, watching for chest rise to confirm air is going in.

Very brief sequence (story-style)

Imagine you find someone who choked, collapsed, and is now unresponsive. You lower them to the ground, call for emergency help, and start chest compressions if they are not breathing normally. After a set of compressions, you tilt the head back, lift the chin, open the mouth, and quickly look for and remove any visible object. Only then do you seal your mouth over theirs and give a breath, watching the chest rise; if it does not rise, you reposition the head and try again, continuing cycles of compressions, airway check, and breaths until help arrives or the person starts breathing.

One-line CPR-style answer

Before giving breaths to an unresponsive choking person, open the airway with head-tilt/chin-lift, check the mouth after compressions, remove any visible object, and then attempt rescue breaths while watching for chest rise.