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The Heimlich maneuver is an emergency technique for preventing suffocation when a victim's windpipe becomes blocked by an object or food. You may never have to use this procedure, but it is a good idea to know the basics.
THE HEIMLICH MANEUVER
The victim
A person who is choking cannot speak or breathe.
Do not slap the victim's back. This could make matters worse.
1. From behind, wrap your arms around the victim's waist.
2. Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against the victim's abdomen, below the rib cage and above the navel.
3. Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into the victim's abdomen with a quick upward thrust.
4. Repeat until object is expelled.
TO SAVE AN INFANT:
1. Lay the victim face up on a firm surface.
2. Kneel or stand at victim's feet; or hold infant on your lap facing away from you.
3. Place the middle and index fingers of both your hands below his rib cage and above his navel.
4. Press into the victim's abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Be gentle.
5. Repeat until object is expelled.
TO SAVE YOURSELF:
1. Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against your upper abdomen, below the rib cage and above the navel.
2. Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into your upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust.
3. Repeat until object is expelled.
4. As an alternative, you can lean over a fixed horizontal object (table edge, chair, railing).
5. Press your upper abdomen against the edge to produce a quick upward thrust.
6. Repeat until object is expelled.
AN UNCONSCIOUS VICTIM
1. Place the victim on her back.
2. Facing the victim, kneel astride the victim's hips.
3. With one of your hands on top of the other, place the heel of your bottom hand on the abdomen below the rib cage and above the navel.
4. Use your body weight to press into the victim's abdomen with a quick upward thrust.
5. Repeat until object is expelled. If the victim has not recovered, proceed with CPR. (Call local Red Cross for course information.)
A DROWNING VICTIM
Standing in a pool
(Buoyancy lightens victims' weight)
1. Stand behind the victim and wrap your arms around victim's waist.
2. Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against the victim's upper abdomen, below the rib cage and above the navel.
3. Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into the victim's upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust.
4. Do not squeeze the rib cage; confine the force of the thrust to your hands.
5. Repeat until water no longer flows from the mouth.
6. If the victim has not recovered, proceed with CPR. (When doing this maneuver, remember you cannot get air into the lungs until the water is removed.)
Possible food and household choking hazards for children
* Hard or sticky candy
* Popcorn
* Raw carrots
* Chunks of peanut butter
* Balloons
* Pen caps
* Plastic bags
- Sources: American Red Cross, Heimlich Institute Foundation Inc. Heimlich maneuver is a registered service mark of Heimlich Institute Foundation Inc., which reserves all rights to its use. Contact Red Cross in Pinellas: (727) 446-2358 or (727) 898-3111; Hillsborough: (813) 348-4820, Ext. 850.
