LifeVac: Do Choking Rescue Devices Work? with Brandon Doerksen

Katie Ferraro (0s):

Okay, new year, blank slate. time to start actually offering your baby the variety of foods that you know they want to eat right now. And it's hard I get it 'cause we know the benefits of offering babies a ton of flavor and taste and texture opportunities. But like actually getting that food on your baby's plate can be a major drag. I know this and it's exactly why I created my original 100 First Foods daily meal plan. If you want 20 weeks of Baby-Led Weaning meals done for you and I mean five new foods a week, including a weekend allergenic maintenance plan for meals. It's all inside of my Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro Program. This is hands down the most comprehensive, straightforward Baby-Led Weaning Program out there and definitely the only one you'll ever need to buy.

Katie Ferraro (44s):

You'll get lifetime access to my 100 First Foods content library and that's got all the videos and instructions on how you make different foods safe for your baby's age and stage plus the 100 First Foods daily meal plan. If you want every meal of every day of all of the 100 First Foods laid out for you. My goal is to make feeding your baby fun again. I want this to be the year that your friends and your family will be commenting like, oh my gosh, look how well your baby eats. 'cause your baby's gonna be mastering meats like lamb and then they're gonna be eating whole grains so you don't fall into the pasta, potatoes and rice rutt If. you haven't done all of the allergenic foods yet, or you're not sure how to safely offer your baby shellfish. The Baby-Led Weaning with Katie Ferraro Program is for you.

Katie Ferraro (1m 26s):

I literally spent all of last year totally overhauling our program from top to bottom. I personally remade every single recipe in the program, tested them extensively with babies of different ages. I know your baby is going to love these real foods and you are gonna love how simple it is to make Baby-Led Weaning actually work in your house. In the new year, you can get started enjoying feeding your baby again by going to babyledweaning.co/program. Again, that website is babyledweaning.co/program and I hope to see you there.

Brandon Doerksen (6m 3s):

A lot of these choking, rescue devices that you could maybe find on Amazon are not regulated, are not approved by the FDA. And there are mimics or scam companies that come up and try to copy these devices and they throw 'em up on Amazon and they get sued by the companies and they have to take 'em down and they're not regulated. So this, it's kind of the Wild West. I wanna make sure If, you are gonna pick up one of those devices that it's the right one that it's approved by the FDA for use.

Katie Ferraro (6m 28s):

Hey there, I'm Katie Ferraro, Registered dietitian, college nutrition professor and mom of seven specializing in Baby-Led Weaning here on the Baby-Led Weaning made easy podcast. I help you strip out all of the noise and nonsense about Feeding leading you with the confidence and knowledge you need to give your baby a safe start to solid foods using Baby-Led Weaning. When you were pregnant, did you know what a choking rescue device was? I see them on everyone's baby registry these days and while they've been around for a while, choking rescue devices are definitely having a heyday here in the era of social media and information sharing. And that might add fearmongering.

Katie Ferraro (7m 9s):

That's my own personal opinion. But essentially This is a device that creates one-way suction and prevents air from pushing food or objects downward, essentially extracts the choking item from the airway. You place it, you push it, you pull it. I'm talking specifically today about the LifeVac tool. My guest in this interview is the chief trainer for LifeVac. He's someone who's been on the podcast a lot of times in the past. It's Brandon Doerksen from Thrive Training Institute. Brandon is my go-to for all questions about physical interventions during choking, right? We do so much about choking Prevention, but if it happens, what do you do? You need to know the basics of CPR. I was actually surprised to hear Brandon say that he was an affiliate for and a representative of LifeVac and their chief trainer because Brandon's business, he teaches online CPR.

Katie Ferraro (7m 52s):

I just assumed most people are either in like Camp CPR or Choking Rescue Device Camp. But as I've learned over the years is Brandon's message is still about the importance of CPR as a first line of defense. This episode, he's gonna be sharing how these devices like the LifeVac can be an ancillary support. So if you're interested in checking LifeVac out, if you've been meaning to buy one, Brandon's affiliate discount code for LifeVac is thrive. So he recommends purchasing this device directly from the LifeVac website. I guess there's a very large number of less effective or even dangerous products and dupes and imitations on Amazon. So If, you go to LifeVac.Net, you can get $10 off of your LifeVac purchase with Brandon's code Thrive and if you haven't taken your infant refresher CPR course, Brandon has bundled the choking Prevention and Response Course that we co-teach together along with infant refresher CPR or infant CPR.

Katie Ferraro (8m 47s):

So for the parents that are particularly anxious about choking, that Choking Prevention and response course Brandon myself and then a speech language pathologist who also specializes in pediatric swallowing, we put that curriculum together. That course on its own is usually $97. So it's nice that he's bundling CPR with that course for $97. There's no code, but if you want to take advantage of that offer, there's a link where you're listening to the podcast in the description. It will also be on the Shownotes page for this episode, which you can find at BLWpodcast.com/398. So with no further ado, here's Brandon Doerksen and today he's talking about LifeVac and whether or not Choking Rescue devices work and also how they work.

Brandon Doerksen (9m 31s):

Hey, I'm excited to be here. We have an important topic today and I think it's gonna gonna help a lot of people get some clarity.

Katie Ferraro (9m 36s):

Now, you were on a couple of episodes ago, we were talking about back blows and when to administer back blows for your baby who's six to 12 months of age. You shared some great advice about when things change around the 12 month mark. I still maintain at the outset that CPR is the most important thing for parents to know, but go listen to that episode BLW podcast.com/390. Brandon taught all about back blows. Today we're talking about Choking Rescue devices. Brandon, is this a new thing? Like how long have choking rescue devices been on the market in something that you could purchase?

Brandon Doerksen (10m 6s):

Yeah, I think it's been about 10 years and they've really gained in popularity as information spreads on the internet. And so people are starting to pick up these devices and a lot of parents, as we normally we talked about in the previous episode and why we've created courses together around choking is parents have a concern about choking. And so what, what parents law of parents do is they, they search, you know what to do if my child chokes and one of these devices shows up and they think, oh, I'll just buy the device and then I'm set. I don't need to know, CPR don't need to know anything else. I'll just have this device in the closet somewhere in case a choking emergency happens. And so we take a much more holistic approach. Obviously we're talking here with Katie Ferraro who you know everything about, you know, Baby-Led Weaning and, and how to reduce those risks of choking.

Brandon Doerksen (10m 47s):

So I think our listener here is, is an informed listener. And I wanna be able to give you your audience some, some value that you don't just wanna buy a device and put it in the closet, put it in the car and hope that that is your knowledge for choking rescue. Now I think it can be a, and we'll talk about this in this episode, a great tool in your toolkit for the worst case scenarios. I think that's totally fine. Carrying a first aid kit, having an airbag in your car, having a spare tire, those are all things we we appreciate having. We don't plan to use them every day. And there are certain scenarios where they're not available. And so what I always tell parents that when you're looking for a choking rescue device is that is not your savior. You having CPR knowledge as a foundation knowing how to rescue your infant toddler or school-aged child If, you had nothing else.

Brandon Doerksen (11m 31s):

If you're lost in the middle of the forest and they picked up a pine cone and they were choking on it, you need to know what to do. And so for your audience listening, thinking about, you know, I'm, I'm introducing solid foods, I gotta have one of these, these devices, they're great to have. I just wanna give that caveat that we are a huge proponent of choking prevention and knowing CPR as a CPR instructor, obviously I want you to have that knowledge. And so in a previous episode we shared a a way that you can get access to our trainings together for a discount. And we're also gonna honor that in this episode as well.

Katie Ferraro (12m 2s):

And that's the Choking Prevention and Response Course, plus the CPR course that branded teaches. So I co-teach the Choking Prevention and Response Course with him along with a pediatric speech language pathologist who specializes in infant swallowing. So the three of us got together and did that course. Brandon is very kindly bundling that Choking Prevention course with the CPR course. They usually cost $97 each, but he's offering both of them combined four $97. It's only available though If. you click the link that's in the description for this episode that you're listening to, where you can also go to the Shownotes for this episode at BLW podcast.com/398 and get that offer. I do also wanna add that this is lifetime access to those courses, which we're constantly updating the content to reflect the latest research and science and the published guidelines around this because things do change.

Katie Ferraro (12m 47s):

And we are talking about that in the last episode like with regards to CPR. But with these choking devices Brandon are these, they're DA approved medical devices, like they're, they've gotta have some sort of data that they do what they say they do, which is ironic 'cause the FDA also regulates supplements to some degree who you don't have to do what you say you do and supplements. So do they actually reduce choking? Is there data?

Brandon Doerksen (13m 9s):

Yes, there has been. And I'm gonna talk exclusively about LifeVac because I have the most knowledge about LifeVac today. And as a full disclaimer, I am an affiliate for LifeVac. I am one of their lead educators when it comes to training, to getting the word out on how to use this device. And I, I didn't actually start out promoting LifeVac as an affiliate. I wanted to know more about this industry and to understand its efficacy for people. And so when you think about a choking emergency, we wanna make sure that the child survives that choking emergency. So step one, If, you If, you haven't clicked the link in the Shownotes to go through the CPR course. Go do that, that's something you need to know. Step two is we wanna make sure that that child after the choking emergency isn't injured.

Brandon Doerksen (13m 50s):

Like we don't want lifelong injuries from an event that we rescued them from. And so a lot of these choking rescue devices that you could maybe find on Amazon are not regulated, are not approved by the FDA. And there are mimics or scam companies that come up and try to copy these devices and they throw 'em up on Amazon and they get sued by the companies and they have to take 'em down and they're not regulated. So this, it's kind of the wild west and we wanna make sure If, you are gonna pick up one of those devices that it's the right one that it's approved by the FDA for use. And so LifeVac, I've worked closely with them and what's crazy is there's been over a thousand lives that have been Registered as saves from a choking emergency with that device. And they have had no complaints of injury. So there hasn't, they had, nobody's filed a lawsuit against him for being injured but from using the device 'cause the suction is enough to remove the object but it's not too much to cause damage to the child's airway, to the throat, to the lungs, all the stuff right there.

Brandon Doerksen (14m 43s):

And so why I think that's important is we don't just want to just start, you're not even gonna go get your bathroom plunger and just putting it over your child's face and trying to rescue them. We wanna make sure that it's the right size, it's the right amount of force that would assist us if we've already tried back blows. We've already tried chest thrust and for some reason this object is not coming out.

Katie Ferraro (14m 60s):

Hey, we're gonna take a quick break but I'll be right back.

Brandon Doerksen (16m 12s):

So let's talk about a couple scenarios where using a LifeVac would be a good move. So for people in wheelchairs, some people in wheelchairs are not, you're not able to get in the right position to give back loads or to to give the Heimlich Maneuver if they're over 12 months. And so in those scenarios we want to give people an equal chance to be rescued from a choking emergency. So that's step one for people with with disabilities, you wanna be able to help them, you wanna be able to rescue them if they're not able to to receive the, the standard care that CPR offers life at comes in amazing there. Another thing to consider is If, you are running out of oxygen, you pass out. And so when we're helping a choking victim, if they were to pass out, we can't give back blows or the Heimlich anymore because they're gonna be on the ground.

Brandon Doerksen (16m 55s):

You can still use LifeVac when somebody is laying down or sitting or standing where that limits us with some of the things that we're able to do as CPR. And so I think having LifeVac as kind of that one two punch is a great thing to have in the toolkit for families. And so one of the things to think about is, okay, when do I use LifeVac? Do I use it first? Do I use it second? That's the question I get asked a lot. And so what I tell families is, unless you're like me who's making videos all the time educating people about choking, you probably don't, you're probably not feeding your child with the, with helping them eat and sitting at the table with a LifeVac out. It's gonna be somewhere in a, in a in the pantry. And so it takes time to get it out. And so if your child were to choke, I wouldn't make sure that you're, I wouldn't be dependent on the device.

Brandon Doerksen (17m 39s):

We'll use that after standard CPR protocol has failed, which is rare, but it does happen. I would start with back blows for infants and toddlers and then for toddlers you would use abdominal thrust and chest thrust if they're under 12 months. And so I would not start with with the Life Act because you're just not gonna be able to get there in time if there's two adults present, have one grab the Life Act, have the other administer infant or child CPR to rescue them from that choking emergency. And so those are the two things I really want people to consider is the low risk of injury. If, you have the right device but also the right order of care.

Katie Ferraro (18m 14s):

I was looking at the LifeVac website before our interview and they have that LifeVac Hall of Saves. So every photo in the Hall of Saves is an actual life saved by LifeVac. I think it's such a powerful image. It's, they say it's our proudest accomplishment in our mission to end choking deaths. And then you can read the stories but you can also report a life saved. And they're, they're really powerful because you know, these are not the things that we plan for. They are things that we're scared of. I think it's important to have first agreed that CPR skillset and then a product like this. I was actually really surprised 'cause I reached out to you and was like, I wanna do an episode on these choking rescue devices. And I was surprised to hear you say you were an affiliate for them. 'cause I was like, wait a minute, aren't you in one of two camps? Like you're either Pro CPR or you're pro Choking Rescue Devices and I really like your approach. No, they agree as well.

Katie Ferraro (18m 55s):

CPR is important and saves lives. No one's saying this is better than CPR. We're still maintaining that. That's the gold standard. Having this as like that insurance policy on top of it and there are some instances. Can you talk about, are you aware of any, I, I don't know any parents who've actually used it on their baby choking. A lot of parents I know have LifeVac and hopefully you hope you never have to use it. Do you have any scenarios or anecdotes of real life use cases in baby six to 12 months of age who are starting solid foods?

Brandon Doerksen (19m 20s):

Yeah, You know, it's recommended just because of the size of the mask that your child be 22 pounds for there to be a proper seal. And so at the own discretion of a parent, you can still use it if they're under that 22 pound mark. There has been reports of children being rescued from the Life Act at even as young as three weeks of it, three weeks old, all the way up to 95 years old. And so it's, it's, it works. There's two different size masks. One are for children, one is for adults. And so depending on the size of your child, you can still rescue them at at any age. Which is which, which is what makes it so powerful. And one thing I would add is there some of the other devices on the market, there have been a lot of reported injuries and they're, they're minimally invasive but they're more invasive than what the LifeVac is.

Brandon Doerksen (20m 1s):

LifeVac is non-invasive, it's portable, it's manually operated and it's very easy to learn how to use. And so that's why I was excited, you know, to come on and and share about it. Like I said at the beginning, you wanna make sure that you don't get a knockoff version of the LifeVac because that's been happening a lot. And so If, you wanna make sure you get the right one. I do have an affiliate code. It's just the word thrive. When you're on Life Act website, when you go to purchase your favorite kit, I like the home and travel kit bundle, you get two of them, one for a home, one for on the go, just put the code Thrive and you'll save 10%. And then please If, you did use my affiliate code. Thank you so much for the support. Send me an email to support@thrivetraininginstitute.com and I'll send you a Free Life Act training course that will teach you how to use the life hack to make sure that you know how to use it properly, what things to look for.

Brandon Doerksen (20m 44s):

All those scenarios there are in that free training. So use the code Thrive if you, you want to pick one up, save 10% and then please send me an email so I can send you that free training course so that you can learn how to use it properly.

Katie Ferraro (20m 54s):

Hey, we're gonna take a quick break, but I'll be right back. Brandon, thank you so much for coming on to explain a little bit about them, I think nobody wants to have to use this product, but in the event that you do, we hope you have CPR skillset. Please feel free to check out our choking Prevention and response course that we bundled with CPR for $97. Again, that link is in the Shownotes for this episode at BLW podcast.com/398. It's also right below where you're listening to the podcast and that code is thrive on the LifeVac website. And I agree with you, buying it from the LifeVac website is important. I know everyone's inclination is to go to Amazon, especially in the baby space, like the rip off city right now.

Katie Ferraro (21m 39s):

And you never know if you're getting the actual device, go to the source, enter that code, get 10% off and I saw your LifeVac training course, I think it's fabulous. That's a really nice offer on top of that, like we are gonna load you up with everything you need to deal with the possibility that your baby might choke, but most importantly, the knowledge to know what to do if they choke is important in lifesaving. But you've gotta do all the things to prevent choking. You gotta do both of 'em, right? It kind of stinks as a parent. We gotta a lot of stuff to do.

Brandon Doerksen (22m 0s):

Yeah, you guys have a lot of, our job for Katie and I is to team together to give you clarity on how to prevent choking and to give you those skills to know what to do if your child were to choke. I want to end parents' anxiety around choking and that's what we're on a mission to do. Katie, thank you so much for having me on the show.

Katie Ferraro (22m 15s):

Thank you as always for coming and sharing your time and your expertise with our audience. I really appreciate it. Well, I hope you enjoyed that interview with Brandon. I like learning about new things like choking rescue devices were not a thing when I was doing Baby-Led Weaning with my own babies. And I do think they give a false sense of security like, oh, I don't have to figure it out 'cause I have this thing that's gonna do it for me. No, that's not how this works. I hope that message came through loud and clear that you still need to know basic CPR and This is a device that can help you as an assistive device. I loved what he was saying about calling the 9 1 1. I think his message is like, we as parents have to take care of this and you do need to have the skillset to save your baby's life. And having a device that might help on top of that is great If, you want to get a LifeVac.

Katie Ferraro (22m 58s):

Again, Brandon's affiliate discount code is thrive. You have to go to LifeVac dot net to purchase that to make sure that you're getting the original device. This is approved by the FDA. You don't wanna get a knockoff device that looks like a LifeVac but is really not And. if you wanna take advantage of that course bundle where Brandon put the choking Prevention and response course that we teach together, he put that in conjunction with his online CPR course. Both of those courses together for $97. Fabulous deal. I haven't seen that anywhere or if we had it in the past, it's been a really long time since it's been an option. It's not on my regular landing page for Thrive. So you have to go to the link that is in the episode that you're listening to right now, or go to the Shownotes for this episode, BLW podcast.com/398.

Katie Ferraro (23m 39s):

Sign up for those classes. Educate yourself to reduce choking risk. And thank you to our partners at AirWave Media. If, you guys like podcasts that feature food and science, and using your brain, check out some of the podcasts that AirWave has to offer or online at BLW podcast.com. Thank you so much for listening. I'll see you next time.