Heimlich maneuver is an emergency method that is used to remove foreign objects that have entered the respiratory tract. This technique is used in cases where, as a result of such objects entering the respiratory passage, a person stops breathing. In airway obstruction, oxygen starvation from a foreign object can lead to brain damage that is irreversible, or death occurs within 4 minutes, sometimes even less. The life of a choking victim could be saved by the Heimlich maneuver.
In what cases is the technique used
This method is not performed on children under the age of 1 year.
Indications for the Heimlich maneuver:
- lack of ability to speak or cough;
- complexion blue or purple due to lack of oxygen;
- cough weak and breathing difficult;
- all of the above plus subsequent loss of consciousness.
Statistics
A huge number of people every year, including infants and older children, end up in the emergency room with strangulation incidents. Children aged 4 years and younger make up 80% of their number. Death,caused by airway obstruction and associated injuries are most common among children 4 years of age. This is due to their anatomy, natural curiosity, tendency to put all kinds of foreign objects in their mouths, and the fact that they have not yet developed survival skills.
Suffocation in younger children is usually due to the inhalation of small objects, such as toys, parts from toys, coins, which they constantly try to put into their mouths.
How the Heimlich technique appeared
In 1974, Henry Heimlich first described the technique of pushing out a foreign body that blocks the trachea. The method is quite simple, it can be performed by any trained person. The Heimlich maneuver is a standard part of training in CPR and first aid.
The theory of technique is based on the fact that when the abdomen is compressed below the level of the diaphragm and rapid abdominal thrusts are performed, an artificial cough is involuntarily obtained. The air pushed out of the lungs knocks the obstruction from the trachea into the mouth.
The Heimlich maneuver can be applied to anyone, however, there are some caveats when applying the technique to infants, obese people and pregnant women.
Interesting fact
Henry Heimlich only had to put his technique into practice once in his entire life. Of course, he showed it on mannequinsquite often, also on volunteers, when there was a demonstration. However, the chance to save the life of a man who was suffocating, he fell only in 2016. He was having dinner at a restaurant and noticed that a woman of his age began to choke. Without a moment's hesitation, he ran up to her and performed his trick, and then sat down and finished dinner as if nothing had happened. The old lady who was saved in this way has become a local celebrity.
How the Heimlich maneuver is performed. Execution algorithm
To perform the reception, it is necessary to bypass the victim from behind, while he can either sit or stand. The person who provides assistance should bring his hand, clenched into a fist, on one side and place it in a place above the waist and below the chest, thumb towards the victim. Next comes the waist with the other hand, it is placed on top of the fist. The person who performs the reception makes a series of quick pushes (five) inward and upward. If the object has not begun to move, the shocks must be repeated until the foreign body is pushed out. Since the victim will gradually be deprived of oxygen, the tracheal muscles will relax, and it is likely that the foreign object will be pushed out the second or third time.
Actions in case of loss of consciousness by victims
When the victim is unconscious, the person who provides first aid should lay the victim on the floor, lower his chin, and, making sure that the airway has not been blocked with the tongue, place his hands between the stomach in the navel areaand the lower part of the victim's sternum, after which you can begin to produce 5 quick presses in and up. After the pushes, the rescuer raises the victim's chin, moves his tongue and removes the foreign object from the mouth with probing movements, if possible. If it was not possible to clear the airways, the series of abdominal thrusts should be repeated as many times as necessary.
If, nevertheless, it was possible to remove the foreign object, but the victim is still not breathing, artificial respiration should be performed.
Heimlich technique for a certain category of persons
The technique for children who are older than one year is the same as for adults, with the exception that the applied force must be several times less so as not to damage the ribs, sternum and internal organs of the child.
When performing the Heimlich maneuver on overweight people, the main difference is where the fists will be placed. In this case, the emphasis is on the chest, and abdominal thrusts are not used. The location of the fists in this case is opposite the middle of the sternum, and the direction of the pushes is not up, but down.
When the casu alty is unconscious, chest strikes will resemble a technique used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
A feature of performing the Heimlich maneuver in pregnant women is the same principle as when performing a reception on obese people.
Performing an infant intake
As previously described, this technique is not performed onchildren under one year old. Instead, they use back kicks and pushes to the chest. The person who provides first aid to the baby, sitting down, puts the baby face down on his thigh, while he should support the baby with one hand, and with the other make quick blows (five times) on the baby’s back, between the shoulder blades. When the blows are completed, the child is turned face up. Then, with the index or middle finger, located in the center of the sternum, make a series of quick strokes and continue to do so until the child's trachea is freed from the foreign body. If the child loses consciousness, cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be started immediately.
To avoid dire consequences, the child's parents must be trained in the Heimlich technique.
