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> He researched the subject thoroughly and found that there was absolutely no other solution to choking besides the Heimlich maneuver. So he spent the past five
by vacri 11y ago
> He researched the subject thoroughly and found that there was absolutely no other solution to choking besides the Heimlich maneuver. So he spent the past five years developing new technology to solve this problem.
Strange, I did my last first aid course about 5 years ago, and remember a few methods other than the Heimlich. The Heimlich has this weird PR where it seems that it's the only method that the US knows about. It's a bad method because it's not very good at applying pressure in the right places, and done by enthusiastic naifs it can break ribs (less of a problem) and do serious damage to internal organs (more of a problem).
Three alternatives to the 'one and only' Heimlich:
1) Start with short, hard, upward slaps on the victim's back, with the victim bent over if possible. This is more helpful in cases of partial choking
2) Get the victim on the ground on their side, and using both hands, push down on the side of their ribcage in short, sharp bursts. This uses the same 'pop a cork' mechanism as the Heimlich, but you get a lot more power and you won't damage internal organs (and are unlikely to break bones).
3) As a last resort, try and blow the obstruction further into the lungs. It will require surgery to remove, but that's better than dying.
- mhb 11y agoWhat is your source for #2? The NHS (i.e., not the US) doesn't mention that technique. http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/2301.aspx?categoryid=72 http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/2301.aspx?categoryid=72
- vacri 11y agoSt John's Ambulance does first aid training here in Melbourne. They're basically a volunteer group who work alongside the professional paramedics; St John's generally does events like concerts and festivals, while the professionals do the usual emergency stuff. St John's also do a lot of first aid training here (the above examples come from a course of theirs). The side chest compressions tend not to break ribs - normal CPR compressions do, but CPR needs to squish the heart - a smaller, tougher organ than the lungs. The heimlich also has to be done in an upright position, which makes it more awkward to do if you're not physically strong; it's all bicep strength, and you can't use your own weight to your advantage. Chest thrusts are also not complicated by a patient who is obese or pregnant. Just googling around, found some research arguing for (normal) chest compressions over heimlich, from 2000: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10767497 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10767497
- mhb 11y agoThat all seems reasonable. It's just that your post is the first place I've ever heard of this technique of pushing on a choking person's side. Since it came packaged with snark about the US Heimlich PR I expected to find a lot more information and advocacy for it. Meanwhile the best you can do is provide a link to using normal chest compressions - not applying side compressions as you mentioned.