- Choking of food or any other material kept inside the mouth is a common accident and so often causes death from asphyxiation or suffocation.
- However, there is a simple technique we can use to help expel a trapped object from another person’s airway and might prevent that person from dying.
- The technique is called the Heimlich maneuver, or abdominal thrusts.
- Abdominal thrusts lift our diaphragm which causes the compression of our lungs and expel air from our lungs.
- Many restaurants post notices on how to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
How to perform Heimlich maneuver?
- If a person gets a particle stuck in the glottis or larynx and cannot either exhale or inhale, a second person can help dislodge the particle by using the Heimlich maneuver.
- The aim is to compress the remaining air in the lungs violently enough to blow the particle or any object free.
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- If the victim can stand:
- Stand behind the victim
- Lean the person forward and give five blows to their back with the heel of our hand
- Place a fist against the abdomen between the ribs and navel, with thumb side in
- Cover the fist with the other hand
- Give a strong sudden squeeze inward and upward
- Repeat until the object is expelled and the person can breathe or cough on their own
- If the victim is unable to stand:
- Kneel astride the victim
- Apply pressure with the heel of one hand between the ribs and navel
- Press down on that lower hand with the other
- Some danger accompanies the Heimlich maneuver because too forceful or badly placed pressure can injure ribs, the diaphragm, or the liver.
- Regardless of whom we perform the maneuver on, that person should still get medical help afterward. This is to ensure no physical damage has occurred to their throat and airways.