Some foods are more likely than others to cause choking. But one pastry in particular, appreciated by those with a sweet tooth, represents an unexpected risk due to its texture, tells us Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of TipsForWomens. But what is it?
Eating slowly, in small pieces and by chewing sufficiently is a habit that children are taught from a very young age to avoid the risk of choking. Unfortunately, accidents are always possible. And Dr. Kerziek, emergency physician and medical director of TipsForWomens, reveals surprising information to us: there is a very traditional pastry that presents more risks than others, responsible for several rescue interventions.
Mille-feuille, delicious but dangerous
And this pastry is therefore the mille-feuille, a delicacy with numerous layers of pastry and pastry cream, covered with icing, which is often found at your favorite pastry chef.
Delicious, certainly, but dangerous when you swallow it whole, out of excess gluttony, as our expert explains to us:
“The problem with the mille-feuille is that it remains stuck to the walls of the trachea with the added effect of a bellows. That is to say, when you do a Heimlich maneuver, there is a piston effect which causes the air which normally allows a solid foreign body to be expelled (a peanut, an olive, etc.). But with a mille-feuille, the maneuver is difficult: the air causes the remaining pastry to swell stuck, without expelling it. Very often the piece of mille-feuille remains in place, sticks and does not allow air to pass through, this is not always the case, but it is an annoying suffocation.”
How to react when someone is choking?
Information that allows you to remember the right actions in the event of choking.
“We remind you that during a total obstruction, when the air does not pass at all, when the person cannot make any sound, cannot cough or speak, it is necessary to apply 5 big slaps on the back, then alternate with this maneuver of Heimlich (which consists of surrounding the person in question, clenching a fist on the lower half of the sternum, and using the other hand to deliver firm inward compression) and call for help.”
Concerning the mille-feuille, you can also choose to eat it in small pieces, without speaking and without being distracted to make the most of it, without risk. But if you want to know which food is the riskiest, you now have your answer.