Over 100.000 persons die each year suffocated because of food or because of a foreign body which they have accidentally swallowed and which got to their trachea. If the process of breathing does not start again within 2 minutes, irreversible brain damage occurs and death is imminent. Because of the fact that the victim can’t speak, the problem that may occur is for him or her not to be correctly understood and for the incident to be wrongly perceived as a heart attack.

Dr. Henry Heimlich has invented the maneuver which has saved thousands of choking people, suffocating because of food or foreign bodies, or victims of asthma. The Heimlich Maneuver is practically a no cost solution in case of emergency and it does not require special strength, special equipment or special practice in order to do it.

In 1972, dr. Henry Heimlich started investigating the mechanism of the accidental death caused by suffocation. He explained that back blows and using your fingers to remove the object usually pushes it even deeper out of  physical reasons.

Even if the breathing is completely stopped, there is still significant air inside the lungs. This is the reason why the maneuver is successful.

With this maneuver, the compressed diaphragm forces the lungs to take the residual air out and clear the airways.

Heimlich Maneuver for adults and children older than 1 year

The person doing the maneuver must stand behind the chocking person, and put his or her arms around the victim’s waist line.

If the chocking person is standing, you must put one of your legs in between the victim’s legs in order to be able to catch him or her if the victim loses conscience.

You must put your fist with the thumb on the victim’s abdomen above the umbilical cord, but way below the breast area (underneath the breast bone).

Grab your fist with your other hand. Rapidly push the abdomen up; this can help the object come out. Use less strength when pushing the abdomen of a child.

The maneuver can be repeated until the objects gets out or until the victim loses conscience.

The Heimlich Maneuver when you are alone

The Heimlich Maneuver for infants (children younger than 1 year)

Put the infant face down on your forearm, so that the head is lower than the chest (thorax).

Hold the child’s head with your hand. You must not cover his mouth or twist his neck.

In order to remove the object, use 5 back blows in a row, in between the two shoulder blades (scapula).

If you cannot clear the air ways, hold the head and turn the child on one of the thighs, face up and head to the floor (down). Put 2 or 3 fingers on the lower side of his breast bone and push 5 times up. Look for the object in the child’s mouth. If you see it, you must remove it. You can do mouth to mouth respiration two times.

If the back blows and abdominal thrusts do not help get the object out, you must call an ambulance and start the resuscitation process. You must keep doing the back blows, abdominal thrusts and mouth to mouth resuscitation until the infant gets the object out and starts breathing on his own or until the ambulance arrives.

What to do when the victim loses conscience

If the victim loses conscience, you must carefully lay him or her on the ground and call the ambulance.

You must begin pulmonary resuscitation, including the chest compressing.

Each time the airways are open during the resuscitation, you must check for objects in the victim’s mouth or throat. If you find such an object, you must remove it.

You must not push the abdomen, as in the Heimlich maneuver. You must continue the cardiopulmonary resuscitation until the person is conscious again or until the ambulance arrives.