
Dr Heimlich saves choking woman with manoeuvre he invented - eplanit
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36400365
======
drumdance
I like to think the greatest moment of my life was when I performed the
heimlich on a colleague on an airplane. It took three tries but it worked. In
retrospect I was surprised how calm I was. I remember thinking on the third
try, "if this doesn't work, I'm yelling for a flight attendant."

What's even crazier is I was sitting in the window seat, she in the middle
seat. I'm surprised it worked in such cramped circumstances.

And something amusing: the guy in the aisle seat slept through the whole
thing.

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alejohausner
Heimlich means well, but the popularity of his maneuver is due more to his
relentless promotional skills, and not to sound research. If someone is
choking, it's best to slap them hard on the back a few times.

[http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/01.05.05/heimlich-05...](http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/01.05.05/heimlich-0501.html)

~~~
anotherevan
Last time I did my first aide certificate here in Australia (late 90s), if the
back slapping is unsuccessful, the preferred technique was to lay them down on
their side, place your hands under their armpit, flat over their ribs and try
short, sharp compressions, squeezing the lungs.

Because the Heimlich technique is so well known, I remember the instructor
citing the above as superior because it was less likely to break ribs or do
other internal damage.

Caveat: This is in the case of complete obstruction and/or unconsciousness. If
it is a partial obstruction, and you can keep the person calm enough to
breathe enough, call an ambulance. All first aide is about keeping the person
alive long enough for the professionals to take over, not being a hero that
solves the problem yourself.

Looked up St John's and it looks like the technique has changed since then:
[1] This actually sounds harder for effective compressions though, and
requires more strength.

[1]
[http://www.stjohnambulance.com.au/docs/posters/ehs_choking_a...](http://www.stjohnambulance.com.au/docs/posters/ehs_choking_a3.pdf)

~~~
jazoom
I'm a doctor in Australia. The current recommendation is 5 blows to the back
between the scapulae followed by 5 pushes on the sternum. Alternate until they
either can breathe again or pass out.

Heimlich doesn't feature, but I can't say I wouldn't try it if nothing else
was working.

~~~
anotherevan
> Alternate until they either can breathe again or pass out.

What do you do once they pass out?

Yes, I agree doing the Heimlich would be better than doing nothing. Just that
other there seems to be other techniques that are better than Heimlich. I'll
defer to your judgement though.

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v0x
Looks like it's the second time he's used the maneuver:
[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-
canada-36400365](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36400365)

~~~
dang
Well that surely trumps the local source. We'll change the URL from
[http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/05/26/henry-
heimli...](http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2016/05/26/henry-heimlich-
finally-uses-famed-maneuver/85003350/).

It would be amusing if there were a long history of 'first times'.

------
ibspoof
He's also kinda a crackpot: [http://knowledgenuts.com/2014/09/22/the-strange-
story-of-hen...](http://knowledgenuts.com/2014/09/22/the-strange-story-of-
henry-heimlich/)

~~~
andrewvc
I'd go a bit further than 'crackpot' in describing someone who literally gave
Malaria to people with AIDS on purpose.

~~~
readams
It's actually not quite as crazy as it sounds. Malaria was used successfully
to treat Neurosyphilis.

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tiplus
Just in case, here is a video explaining it again [1]. I had to look it up
myself.

[1]
[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7CgtIgSyAiU](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7CgtIgSyAiU)

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andrewclunn
Personal experience that validates your life's work near the end of your life.
Sir, if self actualization were a competition you would win.

~~~
77pt77
No.

That would be him using technique on himself.

~~~
kzisme
He still has a chance...

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Aelinsaar
For all of his ups and downs on a personal level, the guy has probably
indirectly (and now directly) saved a ton of lives.

~~~
MustardTiger
No. There is no evidence to support the technique at all, and it is no longer
recommended in most parts of the world.

~~~
anon4this1
Well, I'm an anaesthetist, and have heard this argument.

I personally did a heimlich maneuvere on a hospital inpatient who was blue and
choking on a big bit of bread, and the bread came out and he turned pink
again.

So from my samples size of N=1, it works 100% of the time. I would like to
know the high quality randomized controlled trials which show that it doesn't?

~~~
MustardTiger
Just like Lisa's rock. Nothing works 100% of the time, and obviously they do
not use "high quality randomized controlled trials" since killing people is
not ethical. Current recommendations are to begin with back blows.

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hellothere789
I can imagine his family and friends were tired of him leaping forward to take
advantage of the technique at every opportunity...

\- YOU'RE CHOKING??? -- No, coughing...

\- YOU'RE CHOKING??? -- NO, Heimlich, I'm holding my breath... I have the
hiccups....

\- YOU'RE CHOKING??? -- FUCKING HEIMLICH! I'M TRYING TO TAKE A DUMP!!

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MustardTiger
It isn't a "life-saving technique", it is bunk:

"There was never any science here. Heimlich overpowered science all along the
way with his slick tactics and intimidation, and everyone, including us at the
AHA, caved in."

~~~
moonshinefe
It isn't though, if you read past the first paragraph in the wikipedia history
of the technique.

"The European Resuscitation Council and the Mayo Clinic recommend alternating
between five back slaps and five abdominal thrusts in cases of severe airway
obstructions.[1][2]"

I hardly think they'd still recommend the maneuver still if it was "bunk".

~~~
MustardTiger
>I hardly think they'd still recommend the maneuver still if it was "bunk".

The mayo clinic doesn't recommend it any more. And your logic there makes no
sense. At what point does "still" matter? It used to be recommended by more
people. It has been falling out of favor as more and more organizations stop
recommending it as there is no evidence to support it. The fact that a few
haven't updated their guidelines yet doesn't make it supported by evidence.

