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This article hits home for me. I just last week gave my pregnant wife the Heimlich after she started choking on food at home. She is about 6 months pregnant. I
by throwaway5643b 12y ago
This article hits home for me.
I just last week gave my pregnant wife the Heimlich after she started choking on food at home. She is about 6 months pregnant. I was present enough in the moment to press into her abdomen above where the baby is situated. The food released on the second or third thrust. The thrusts where rather light compared to what I would have done had she not been pregnant. I shudder to think what I would have had to do if the light thrusts had not worked, given that the only thing in my mind at the time was the Heimlich maneuver. Despite it all happening to so fast, I was aware of the fact that I was willing (as a last resort) press lower in her abdomen and harder and risk injuring the baby to save my wife.
It all turned out okay, but I wish I had known that back blows are a viable alternative and probably a first approach for pregnant women.
- gregd 12y agoInterestingly enough I was all set to argue your point about back blows. When I became an NREMT-B back in the late 90s, we were told, in no uncertain terms, that back blows WERE NOT recommended as they could lodge the object fully. After just now doing a bit of research, it appears that back blows are still "controversial" with the Red Cross recommending them as part of their '5 and 5 method' (first 5 back blows and then 5 abdominal thrusts) and the American Heart Association ONLY recommending abdominal thrusts.
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- RexRollman 12y agoI find it interesting that the American Heart Association is taking any kind of stance. It's not directly a heart issue, is it?
- lftl 12y agoThey do CPR certification, and choking treatment dovetails with those courses.
- techdragon 12y agoI should refresh myself sometime soon but from memory of my training there is an element of "appropriate position" involved in the back blows technique. It can work in any position but there is a "safest" one that should be used if the situation allows for it. From memory the position involves leaning them forward as far as practicable. They still discuss the Heimlich manoeuvre, but advised us all that, like putting a dislocated shoulder back in its socket, it seems simple enough but there is much room for things to go wrong.
- ars 12y agoI'm not sure you would have hurt the baby anyway. It's really well protected in there. The mother on the other hand would be in pain.