The Heimlich Maneuver

Have you ever seen a person choking on his or her food? Perhaps he or she needed the Heimlich maneuver. What is the Heimlich maneuver? It is a maneuver that can save a person from choking to death. Henry Heimlich was a doctor who in 1974 published information on the Heimlich maneuver. His methods of how to help someone from choking have saved over 50,000 people from dying.

The Heimlich maneuver is a simple method, but it must be followed correctly. It should only be attempted after appropriate training. People can sometimes cause more harm to a victim if they perform this maneuver without training. When a piece of food gets lodged in the windpipe, it keeps you from breathing. This means that oxygen can’t get to the brain. The brain can go no longer than four to six minutes without oxygen. That’s why it is important to get the food out of the windpipe as quickly as possible.

You can use the Heimlich maneuver to help other people. If you see a person choking, stand behind him or her and put both arms around the person’s waist. Have the person lean forward just a little bit. Place one hand between the person’s belly button and the rib cage. Make a fist with this hand. Be sure that your thumb is facing the stomach. Place your other hand over the fist. Press your open hand onto the hand in a fist in a sharp upward movement. This should force air out from the body to push out the blocked food.