X-ray of grape lodged in child’s throat shows how dangerous they can be

A mum has shared a terrifying image to warn parents of the dangers of grapes as a choking hazard.

The picture is an X-ray of a young boy's throat with a whole grape lodged in it. The five-year-old was OK but required surgery to remove the piece of fruit. It was posted to Facebook by Australian mum blogger Angela Henderson on behalf of the little boy's mum. "This sweet soul had to be operated on, under general anaesthetic to remove the grape," Angela wrote on her Facebook page Finlee and Me. "He is VERY lucky that part of his airway was open or else this could have ended badly. She urged parents to always cut up small foods that could cause a child to choke. "So please be mindful that not all kids chew their food, are in a rush at school to get in the playground. "Please be careful. And when in doubt just cut the damn grapes, baby tomatoes etc." In 2017, a toddler in the US lost his life in a freak choking incident involving grapes. Emma Carver and Mohammad Umar's two-year-old son Ayyan died after sneaking two grapes into his mouth at the supermarket when his mum had her back turned. "His lips turned blue, his fingers all turned blue," Emma told local news station WXYZ. The couple signed up for first aid classes and urged other parents to do the same. The HSE guidelines for treating a child over the age of one who is choking are featured below.

• If the child cannot breathe, talk or cough, stand behind the child.
• Give up to 5 slaps to the back between the shoulder blades.
• If this does not dislodge the object, stand or kneel behind the child.
• Start the Heimlich manoeuvre by placing the flat thumb side of your fist between the child's navel and breastbone.
• Be sure to keep well off the breastbone.
• Wrap your other hand around your fist and press upwards towards their stomach.
• Keep doing this until the object pops out and the child begins to breathe again.
• If the child becomes unresponsive, gently lower the child to the floor and dial 999 or 112.

The technique is slightly different for babies under the age of one, as demonstrated in this video from St John's Ambulance.