A technique for expelling foreign matter that has become lodged in a person’s windpipe and who is choking.
A procedure to use in cases of choking, when a person’s air passages are obstructed by food or a foreign object. Standing behind the choking person, the rescuer makes a fist, with thumb side up but thumb tucked in; wraps the other hand around it, placing the fist in the choking person’s abdomen, just above the navel and below the rib cage; and makes a quick thrust upward and inward, attempting to use air from below to push the obstruction out of the throat. If the maneuver fails after several tries, an emergency tracheostomy may be required to restore breathing before the person suffocates.
Emergency procedure to help someone who is choking because food or other material is lodged in the trachea. The rescuer should hold the choking person from behind and place one fist, thumb side in, against the victim’s abdomen, in the midline immediately above the navel. The other hand should be placed over the fist. Quick upward thrusts are then administered to force the obstruction out of the trachea. A maximum of five thrusts should be tried, but each individual thrust should be delivered with sufficient force as to attempt to clear the airway by itself. Vomiting or internal organ damage can result from this maneuver, though the risks are lessened if the rescuer has been properly trained by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Procedure used to assist individuals with airway obstruction due to choking by grasping around the victim’s waist from behind and applying a forceful push upward and inward to generate a burst of air to remove the obstruction.
An emergency technique for dislodging an object stuck in the windpipe. The Heimlich maneuver is used to prevent suffocation when a person is choking and unable to breathe, cough, or speak. It is advisable to learn how to perform the Heimlich maneuver in a first-aid course. Basically, the rescuer stands behind the person who is choking, clasps his or her hands over the person’s mid-section, and pulls back to provide pressure that helps propel the food or other swallowed objects out of the person’s mouth.
A technique for removing a foreign body, such as a food bolus, from the trachea or pharynx, where it is preventing air flow to and from the lungs. Also called abdominal thrust maneuver.
A technique that uses abdominal thrusts to dislodge an object blocking a person’s airway.
An emergency procedure conducted to extract a foreign object obstructing the airway, thereby restoring normal breathing for the individual in distress.