How to do the Heimlich maneuver (in adults and babies)

The Heimlich maneuver is a technique used in cases of choking, to remove the piece of food or object that may be interrupting breathing and save the person’s life.

In this maneuver, the hands are used to put pressure on the choking person’s diaphragm, which causes a forced cough and causes the object to be expelled from the airway.

The maneuver was invented by the American doctor Henry Heimlich, in 1974, and can be practiced by anyone, as long as the guidelines are followed correctly:

See the possible causes when a person chokes frequently.

How to do the maneuver correctly

After detecting that the person is unable to breathe properly due to choking, the The first step is to ask her to cough hard and then apply 5 dry blows to her back with the heel of one hand.

If this is not enough, you must prepare to apply the Heimlich maneuver, which can be done in 3 ways:

1. On the waking person

This is the traditional Heimlich maneuver, being the main way to perform the technique. The step-by-step guide consists of:

1. Position yourself behind the victimwrapping his arms around her;
2. Close one handwith the fist tightly closed and the thumb on top, and position it in the upper region of the abdomen, between the navel and the rib cage;
3. Place the other hand over the closed fistgripping it tightly;
4. Pull both hands tightly inwards and upwards, as if drawing a “c” or a comma with your fist. If this region is difficult to access, as can happen in obese people or pregnant women in recent weeks, one option is to place the hands on the chest;
5. Repeat the maneuver up to 5 times in a rowobserving whether the object was expelled and whether the victim is breathing.

Most of the time, these steps are enough for the object to be expelled, however, in some cases, the victim may continue to be unable to breathe properly and end up fainting. In this case, the maneuver adapted for the fainted person must be performed.

2. In the fainted person

When the person is unconscious or passed out, and their airways are obstructed, the Heimlich maneuver should be abandoned and medical help should be called immediately, followed by cardiac massage for basic life support.

Normally, the pressure caused by cardiac massage can also cause the object causing the obstruction to come out, while keeping blood circulating throughout the body, increasing the chances of survival.

See the step-by-step guide to perform cardiac massage correctly.

3. In person

It is possible for a person to choke when alone, and if this happens, it is possible to perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself. In this case, the maneuver must be carried out as follows:

• Make a fist with your dominant hand and place it on the upper part of your abdomenbetween the navel and the end of the rib cage;
• Hold this hand with your non-dominant handachieving better support;
• Push hardand quickly, both hands inwards and upwards, as if drawing a “c” or a comma with your fist.

Repeat the movement as many times as necessary, but if it is not effective, the maneuver should be done with more force, using the support of a firm and stable object that reaches the waist area, such as a chair or a counter. Thus, with your hands still on your abdomen, you must push your body forcefully against the object.

What do you want to do if your baby is choking?

If the baby suffers a serious choking on an object or food, which prevents him from breathing, the maneuver is carried out differently. The first step is to lay the child on your arm with their head a little lower than their torso and observe if there is any object in their mouth that can be removed.

Otherwise, and she continues to choke, you should lean her over, with her belly over your arm, with her torso lower than her legs, and give her 5 spanks with the heel of your hand on her back. If this is still not enough, you should turn the child facing forward, still on your arm, and perform compressions with the middle and ring fingers on the child’s chest, in the region between the nipples.

For more details on how to let your baby choke, check out what to do if your baby chokes.