Heimlich Maneuver

[Capt Steve]

Last night our neighbors, my bride an I were enjoying a nice dinner in a beautiful Tucson restaurant. Sitting opposite me at the table, without warning Linda began to gasp. Her eyes got big as saucers and thankfully she knew what to do. She was choking, could not get any air as the chunk of food was seriously lodged down deep in her throat.

Would you or your loved ones know what to do? Put your hands out in front of you, fingers together with your thumbs extended at a 90 degree angle. Now place your hands one on top of the other at the base of your throat as if your were trying to choke/strangle yourself. This is the universal signal that you are seriously choking and need help immediately. This is exactly what she did. Her husband came out of his chair a heartbeat before I could and a lady from an adjacent table came running over as well. Dan is a big guy and he yanked her up and out of her chair and began a series of Heimlich thrusts. After the 5th or 6th thrust the food dislodged and she began to breath for the first time in over a minute. Her color returned and in a couple of minutes she was fine and able to finish dinner without further discomfort.

What probably saved her life was her timely signal that she was in serious trouble enabling Dan to get to her so quickly. In many cases the victim keeps trying to cough, struggling to clear their throat to the point of passing out which can easily be too late. We all should know the Heimlich maneuver, just like CPR, but make sure your loved ones know how to signal in a timely manner that they need help. Might just save a life.

 

[feralmerril]

About 3 months ago it happened to me. We were with another couple at a resturant. I cant remember exactly how it happened, but I think I was talking and took a drink of super hot coffee and got it down my windpipe. I couldnt get a thread of air as I also have a screwed up false built up nose with hardly a match head opening for a nostril. My wife tried the manuever on me but was doing it wrong and took to beating on my back.
It got messey, the resturant was crowed. Once I could talk I offered to buy everyones dinner. Thank God, no one took me up on it! (I would be there yet doing dishs!)

 

[Bob R]

People don't realize just how bad something like that can be. When I was working in San Jose a group of people were having lunch when a young lady in the party choked on a piece of meat the size of a small mammal. No one in the restaurant did a thing. By the time EMS arrived she had experienced a cardiac arrest due to lack of O2. They cleared her airway, restored her cardiac function and brought her to us.

She was perfectly fine except she had been without O2 for too long and had suffered an anoxic (lack of O2) brain injury. In other words about the only part of her brain still working was her brain stem, keeping her alive. We sent her to ICU on a ventilator doing the breathing for her.

She had been put into a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery because no one stepped up and cleared her airway.

If you haven't taken a Basic Life Support class, please find one and take it. It will teach you basic CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. It will only take a few hours of your time and you could be the one in the right place at the right time someday.

bob

 

[4011]

I was able to do the manuver on my own wife here in our home. She was choking and embarssed so stepped to the other room. I had a feeling and went after her. Was able to get the food loose in two thrust. Thanked GM and the PD for the training. Note thanked God also for the help.

 

[Qball]

Been there to.
A Werther's went down the wrong pipe and got stuck.
Luckely i could cough it up myself after 5 tries

It's a rather scary experience

 

[Gasman1972]

Where's the best place to take CPR classes? Local VFD?

 

[pharmer]

About 10 years ago, I was sitting in the recliner, popping grapes in my mouth. One shot past my mouth and lodged in my throat. I was home alone and nothing I did worked. My last thought was "Not-so-tough guy, dead from a grape, how humiliatin'." I must have gone down hard and exhaled the grape because I ain't dead, yet. I'm a lot more careful with my food these days. And doing the heimlich on yourself is more difficult and less effective than one might think. Joe

 

[Brian41]

I did it once on a big guy of maybe 350 pounds. He'd swallowed a big bug of all things and it got lodged. It took me two attempts and on the second I lifted him off the ground and I'm not a big guy. The bug flew out of him with such force I heard it splat on a boat in the yard.
He and his wife took me out to dinner the next weekend in gratitude.

 

[ogilvyspecial]

About 25 years ago I saved our oldest son's life using the Heimlich Maneuver, thanks to the organization out of White Plains NY that used to run a commercial on TV back in the day that demonstrated the H.M. Because I had seen that commercial so many times it all seemed so natural to do and it only took two tries.

This was back before cell phones and we were way out in the sticks so help would have been a long way off, besides that, there would have been no time even if help would have been close. After it happened I often wondered about how things would have turned out if not for that organization that thought it important enough to educate others. To them I have been forever grateful.......

 

[Stevens]

I have done it twice on people first my boss who choked on a sausage bisquit one breakfast. Another time for a big ex sister-in-law who choked on a crawfish tail at a crawfish boil. Both times everyone else just sat like bumps on a log and stared.
I have read if it happens to you while you are alone ball up your fists and place them on your chest and fall down on them on a table top or the floor. No idea if it works or not.
Steve W.

 

[truckemup97]

Where's the best place to take CPR classes? Local VFD?

There are a lot of things I don't like about the Red Cross, but they do give inexpensive and thorough classes and have locations in almost every town or county of any size. They also sell relatively inexpensive first aid kits.

 

[quneur]

Once in high school. My baby nephew swallowed a penny and I didn't know what to do. So I grabbed both ankles and turned him upside down then proceeded to try forcing it out by shaking him up and down; just like in the cartoons when someone shakes another to get change out of their pockets. It did come out in three shakes .

Also in high school, we had to take cpr classes in phy ed. From what I can remember, you clasp your fist around 2"- 3" below their rib cage and thrust in and up. If by yourself, find a chair back. From behind the chair, place the chair back in the same spot and push down.

If the chair is too big? I would brace the chair against something then lean the chair backwards (not in the class but what I would do).

I need to retake a class. Rec center has them for pretty cheap.

 

[bnkrtstk]

When I was 16 my dad was choking on a chicken bone in our kitchen. I picked him up from the chair and performed the Heimlich and the bone went flying across the room. One of the many useful skills I leaned in Boy Scouts.

I recently re-certified in FA/CPR and was told they are no longer allowed to teach it as the Heimlich because the family wanted royalties.

 

[Hunt200]

I saved my Grandpa many many years ago. I saw the teacher from school who taught me many years later and told him that I saved my Grandpa because he taught me what to do and thanked him and tears actually came to his eyes. He said it was one of the best things anyone ever told him.

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

I was able to do the manuver on my own wife here in our home. She was choking and embarssed so stepped to the other room. I had a feeling and went after her. Was able to get the food loose in two thrust. Thanked GM and the PD for the training. Note thanked God also for the help.

Exactly the same happened to my wife! We were eating in the kitchen and she was choking. It was instinctive as I can't remember how long it was since I had the training.

 

[NE450No2]

Once upon a time I was in a Mexican resturant. This was around 1976 or 1977.

A young Mexican boy about 5 years old near my table, sitting with about 15 or so other family members began to choke.

It began to look very bad for him, they did not know what to do.

So I ran over there, stepped in between him and his mother, jerked him up from his chair and gave him a stout Heimlich Manuever.

Well a bunch of stuff came out and I cleared his mouth with my fingers,and he began to cry, which is a good sign.

I eventually got him to trink some water and with the help of his mother to calm down. He was OK.
Several times durring our meal his mom and what I assume must have been his other female relatives and family friends would come over to the table and give me a big hug. The kid would look over and wave every so often.

No doubt it probably saved his life.

Bottom line is IF you see some one with breathing difficulty do not hesitate to act.

Also it is not a bad idea to learn how to do the HM to yourself, if you are choking and are alone, or maybe not among friends....