EDP column by Professor Ketan Dhatariya
“What is the name of the emergency move to help someone who is choking due to something stuck in their throat?”
You are referring to the Heimlich manoeuvre. This is usually a first aid measure used when someone is in danger of suffocation and for removing a foreign body from the windpipe or throat, where it is preventing flow of air to the lungs. The obstruction is usually a bolus of food. The manoeuvre can be lifesaving in certain circumstances.
These are the steps necessary:
From behind, wrap your arms around the victim’s waist. Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against the victim’s upper abdomen, below the ribcage and above the belly button. Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into their upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Do not squeeze the ribcage; confine the force of the thrust to your hands. Repeat until object is expelled
If the individual is unconscious or is too big to get around, then place the victim on their back. Then, facing the victim, kneel astride the victim’s waist. With one of your hands on top of the other, place the heel of your bottom hand on the upper abdomen below the rib cage and above the belly button. Use your body weight to press into the victim’s upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Repeat until object is expelled
For a young child or infant, it is slightly different. Lay the child down, face up, on a firm surface and kneel or stand at the victim’s feet, or hold infant on your lap facing away from you. Place the middle and index fingers of both your hands below his rib cage and above their belly button. Press into the victim’s upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust; do not squeeze the rib cage. Be very gentle. Repeat until object is expelled.
Finally if you find yourself alone and choking, you may try these steps. Make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against your upper abdomen, below the ribcage and above the belly button. Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into your upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Repeat until object is expelled. Alternatively, you can lean over a fixed horizontal object (table edge, chair, railing) and press your upper abdomen against the edge to produce a quick upward thrust.
For more information about Heimlich Manoeuvre click this link: