3 ms·

The problem with the surgical cric or any other method is that it needs to be lower than the object lodged, which shouldn't be too difficult most of the time bu

by robbiep 11y ago

The problem with the surgical cric or any other method is that it needs to be lower than the object lodged, which shouldn't be too difficult most of the time but runs the risk of being a futile procedure. Personally as a doctor I'm surprised they are teaching the heimlich, it's an outdated procedure with limited success, in ANZ first aid you're meant to slap on the back a bunch of times before going for physical removal

CamperBob2 11y ago
That's interesting -- my understanding is that Heimlich was explicitly intended to supersede the "slap on the back" technique.
- jameslk 11y ago
  You can thank good marketing for that. According to Roger White MD of the Mayo Clinic and American Heart Association (AHA), "There was never any science here. Heimlich overpowered science all along the way with his slick tactics and intimidation, and everyone, including us at the AHA, caved in."[0] 0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_thrusts#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_thrusts#History
  - CamperBob2 11y ago
    Fascinating! I had no idea this was the least bit controversial. Looks like Dr. Heimlich's own son threw him under the bus. It always seemed to me that pounding someone on the back was as likely to force the obstruction farther into the trachea as it was to cause it to be expelled. After all, the victim is presumably trying to breathe, so dislodging the object without a strong upward thrust seems like a bad idea. Guess that's not the case.
    - thaumasiotes 11y ago
      With something obstructing their airway, I would have assumed they were trying to cough. Inhaling a tiny drop of spit can be enough to give me serious breathing problems, not because the spit does anything but because I have to cough so much afterwards.
  - bostonvaulter2 11y ago
    Radiolab has a good episode on Dr. Heimlich: http://www.radiolab.org/story/heimlichs-maneuver/ http://www.radiolab.org/story/heimlichs-maneuver/

by robbiep 11y ago

CamperBob2 11y ago

That's interesting -- my understanding is that Heimlich was explicitly intended to supersede the "slap on the back" technique.

jameslk 11y ago
You can thank good marketing for that. According to Roger White MD of the Mayo Clinic and American Heart Association (AHA), "There was never any science here. Heimlich overpowered science all along the way with his slick tactics and intimidation, and everyone, including us at the AHA, caved in."[0] 0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_thrusts#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdominal_thrusts#History
- CamperBob2 11y ago
  Fascinating! I had no idea this was the least bit controversial. Looks like Dr. Heimlich's own son threw him under the bus. It always seemed to me that pounding someone on the back was as likely to force the obstruction farther into the trachea as it was to cause it to be expelled. After all, the victim is presumably trying to breathe, so dislodging the object without a strong upward thrust seems like a bad idea. Guess that's not the case.
  - thaumasiotes 11y ago
    With something obstructing their airway, I would have assumed they were trying to cough. Inhaling a tiny drop of spit can be enough to give me serious breathing problems, not because the spit does anything but because I have to cough so much afterwards.
- bostonvaulter2 11y ago
  Radiolab has a good episode on Dr. Heimlich: http://www.radiolab.org/story/heimlichs-maneuver/ http://www.radiolab.org/story/heimlichs-maneuver/