Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings

Heimlich's reception is an effective emergency medicine technique that is used to free a person's airways of trapped food or other foreign matter that causes suffocation. By doing the Heimlich trick, you increase the pressure in the abdominal cavity and in the diaphragm, thereby pushing the stuck object outward with air. If you know how to correctly perform this technique, and are willing to use this knowledge, then you can save someone's life.

Steps

1. 1 Determine if the person is actually suffocating. Such a person will most likely wrap their hands around their throat with a frightened look. He will not be able to breathe or speak as his airways will be blocked. This means that he will not be able to answer your questions otherwise than by nodding his head. Choking can occur due to a blockage of the airway with pieces of food, injury, or an allergic reaction. If a person has complete airway obstruction, the following symptoms will be observed:
   • The person cannot breathe or tries to inhale with great difficulty
   • Man cannot speak
   • Man breathes noisily
   • Man cannot cough
   • His lips, face and nails turn blue or gray due to lack of oxygen in the blood
   • Man squeezes his throat with both hands
   • He loses consciousness.
2. 2 Try to help the person immediately. Since every second counts, first try to save the person, and then call an ambulance. Or ask another person to call doctors while you are doing the Heimlich reception.
3. 3 Get the person back on their feet. The technique can also be done if the victim is sitting and it is difficult for you to lift him or her, or if you are in a confined space, such as on an airplane.
4. 4 Hit the person on the back before doing the Heimlich trick. Hit the base of your hand between his shoulder blades. If this does not help, then immediately begin to perform the Heimlich technique.
   • But never kick a person on the back if they have only partial airway obstruction, as you can push the stuck object even deeper.
5. 5 Stand behind the affected person. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Try to stand firmly to prevent the person from falling if they lose consciousness.
   • Place your hands around the victim's stomach in the region of the stomach.
   • Make a fist in your dominant hand. Place the fist with the thumb side on the victim's stomach just above the navel, but below the ribcage.
   • Grasp your fist tightly with the palm of your other hand. Try to keep your thumb close to your fist and not stick into the person's belly, so as not to injure him.
6. 6 Perform the Heimlich trick:
   • Press your fist into the affected person's belly with quick, strong thrusts in and out. Make a movement similar to the Latin letter "J" - inward and then up.
   • Push quickly and forcefully, as if you are trying to lift the victim off the ground.
   • Perform 5 strokes in quick succession. Repeat the technique until the stuck object comes out.
   • If you are helping a child, then press on his belly with less force.
   • If the injured person falls unconscious, stop the shock immediately. This can happen if the stuck object is not removed.
7. 7 Make sure the person is breathing again. As soon as his respiratory tract is free of a foreign object, he will begin to breathe. If breathing is not restored, then continue to press on the stomach.
8. 8 Call for help right away if you are unable to help the person. If the victim is unconscious, then stop pressing on his stomach and do the following:
   • Call an ambulance. Ask someone to help you. Have someone call the doctors if possible.
   • Try to clear the victim's airways by checking their mouth. Give artificial respiration.
   • Do not leave the affected person. Since he may die at any time, continue to do artificial respiration to try to save him.

Tips

• If a choking person can cough, then let him try to clear his throat before you take Heimlich's reception. If he can cough, then this means that the person has partial obstruction and a strong cough will help get rid of it.
• Learn to do the Heimlich trick on yourself. By doing this, you can save your life.
• If a person really suffocates, then he can lose consciousness and fall. Try to get him to his feet and do the Heimlich trick.
• Try to take first aid courses where you will have the opportunity to train on dummies.
• If you are helping a pregnant woman or an obese person, then Heimlich's reception should be performed as follows: 1) Place your hands higher than described in the article. Hands will have to be placed on the sternum, just above the place where the lowest ribs converge to the sternum. 2) Start pressing on your chest with quick thrusts.

Warnings

• Do not hit a choking person on the back if they are coughing! A cough indicates that he has partial obstruction, and a slap on the back can only make the situation worse. Let the person cough, intervene only when he begins to choke.
• A situation where a person chokes and chokes can be life-threatening. Be ready to help the person immediately.
• If you are unsure of what to do, call an ambulance.