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The Heimlich maneuver is a simple way to
help a person who is choking. Because you never know when
you may need it, everyone should know how to perform the Heimlich.
Follow these simple steps to clear a victim's airway.
For Children and Adults ages 8 and
above
1. Stand behind the victim and wrap your
arms around his mid-section.
2. Place your fist just above the victim's
navel. Cover your fist with your other hand.
3. Thrust quickly upward with a hard, fast
motion. Thrust hard enough to lift the victim off his feet.
4. Repeat until you've ejected the blockage
and cleared the airway.
For Children ages 1-8
1. Use the same motion as above, but with
a slightly gentler thrusting motion.
For Children under age 1
1. Sit down and lay the child stomach-down
across your forearm with his head tilting toward the floor.
2. With the heel of your hand, give five
thumps on the infant's back between the shoulder blades.
3. If the thumps don't dislodge the obstruction,
turn the child over with his head lower than his body. Place
two fingers in the middle of the infant's breastbone. Push
down quickly five times.
4. Repeat the back thumps and chest compressions
until you have dislodged the blockage.
5. Call for medical assistance.
For an Unconscious victim over age
1
1. Place the person on his back.
2. If you can see the foreign object in
the mouth, sweep your finger through the mouth to remove it.
3. If the finger sweep doesn't remove the
obstruction, kneel over the victim and place the heel of one
hand below the rib cage, slightly above the navel. Grasp that
hand with your other hand and thrust upward five times.
Learn more about first aid and the Heimlich
maneuver by taking a first aid course given by your local
Red Cross chapter. Go to www.redcross.org
for more information. Note: Only perform the Heimlich maneuver
when the choking person is unable to cough productively, changes
color, loses consciousness, or has increased breathing difficulty.
Sources
American Medical Association Web site. Available
at http://www.ama-assn.org.
Accessed December 6, 1999. Larson, E. David, M.D.
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, 2nd ed.
New York: William Morrow and Company, 1996.
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