How many of you have experienced a foreign object in your throat? How did you handle the situation? Did you participate in first aid process?
When foreign objects enter the windpipe through the throat, they generate a life-threatening condition, which requires immediate medical attention. People lose their lives when object obstruct the airway due to suffocation. For this reason, timely and effective first aid technique is necessary in order to save lives. How many of you have skills in life saving techniques?
In this regard, we must recall the contributions of Henry Judah Heimlich, the scientist behind the invention of the homonymous maneuver, to first aid science, especially emergencies. Fundamentally, first explained in 1974, the technique involves use of abdominal thrusts aimed at obstruction of the airway by foreign objects.
Conducting abdominal thrust encompasses an individual who is performing the first aid to position him/herself behind a patient. Hands are used to pile pressure on the lower part of the diaphragm. Consequently, the move helps to constrain the lungs, and in turn, an item blocking the trachea is expelled.
Not many of you may know that prior to the discovery of abdominal thrust, back slaps were commonly used in first aid procedures. However, they were a major cause of death, as they were associated with placing foreign materials into the trachea. For this reason, in the early 1980s, the American Heart Association decided to halt endorsing back blows when handling the choking cases.
Furthermore, in the early 1970s, Heimlich Henry conducted a study which indicated that different objects, especially food, were leading to high cases of asphyxiation. In addition, such materials were not dislodged as quickly as possible, because the recommended first aid process at the time entailed hitting at patient’s back using the severe blows.
At this point, Heimlich decided to develop an alternative technique aiming to reduce the deaths in case of choke. You may wonder – how did he find a magical solution? In this regard, Heimlich conceived a procedure of utilizing air ejected from the lungs of the patient to push the foreign material blocking the windpipe up. The process also intended to propel the material out of the throat. Indeed, Heimlich maneuver is being utilized only when the airway of the victim is completely blocked; hence, he/she could not be able to cough it out, breathe or speak. Normally, when the trachea is partially obstructed, the affected person can apply his or her own effort to clear it out.
It is worth mentioning for a curious mind that in the 1980s, the scientist was able to persuade the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association (AHA) to avoid using back blows when handling cases of choking. Therefore, between 1985 and 2005, Heimlich maneuver was the only certified first aid procedure for choking in the issued recommendations of American Red Cross and AHA. However, since 2006, both institutions reviewed use of technique among conscious victims.
What is the recommended guideline in the use of Heimlich maneuver? The latest rules encourage the rescuer to conduct back slaps among conscious persons. However, in case such a move flops in eliminating the trachea obstruction, the individual conducting the first aid should take advantage of abdominal thrusts. On the other hand, if the victim is unconscious, the recommendations indicate that chest thrust should be utilized.
Other health organizations such as the Mayo Clinic and the European Resuscitation Council encourage that in the event of serious airway blockage, interchanging five Heimlich maneuver and five back slaps should be applied. More importantly, the inventor promoted the use of this technique in the management of asthma and drowning attacks.
To sum up, Henry Judah Heimlich developed his famous maneuver in the 1970s. The technique is quite beneficial in first aid process to deal with cases of choking. It was invented against the backdrop of rising cases of deaths due asphyxiation. The AHA ceased using back blows in handling those kinds of problems. From 1985, Heimlich maneuver was recommended to be used in emergency healthcare.
Therefore, in case you encounter a victim of airway obstruction requiring emergency attention, you can easily take advantage of Heimlich maneuver to save someone’s life.
