Heimlich Maneuver - Essay Example

Full Heimlich Maneuver Choking seems to be a simple matter but could be deadly. Administering the proper management to such circumstance is very vital since one wrong move could mean death to the victim. The most popular process in handling choking victims is the Heimlich maneuver wherein air is forced out from the victim to help dislodge the blockage. However, there are important matters one has to consider before administering the emergency treatment to the victim. Generally, the Heimlich maneuver is not to be administered to a person right away when his airway is blocked.

When the person is able to talk or cough, encourage him to cough out the obstruction or to manually remove it himself. A rescuer should apply Heimlich maneuver only when he notices that the choking person is not able to talk or cough, is holding on to his throat which could signal difficulty in breathing or when the victim’s lips turn blue indicating that he is unable to breathe. As a general rule, one has to contact 911 before the emergency method is given just in case further treatment is needed.

After observing any of the aforementioned signs, explain to the victim that you are going to help him clear his airway by applying the Heimlich maneuver. The rescuer then helps the victim on his feet and move behind him making a fist with one hand and placing it on the victim’s belly button and anchoring it with the other hand. He should make five quick upward thrusts, in a J-like movement to allow air to push the obstruction from the airway. Check to see if the obstruction is dislodged, if not, repeat the process.

When the victim coughs, stop the procedure because this would indicate that the victim is able to breathe. In case the blockage is not removed and the victim losses consciousness, help the victim down to the floor carefully and let him lie down on prone position, that is, his back on the floor. The rescuer should continue to attempt dislodging the obstruction until professional help arrives. He should let air move up to the victim’s windpipe to get the foreign object out of the airway. he does this by putting one hand over the other hand and intertwining the fingers of the upper hand to the lower hand, keeping the hand on the bottom open.

He then should place his hands on the middle torso of the victim, between the navel and the rib cage and apply five upward thrusts to push air up to the windpipe. He should be careful not to push downward, causing more harm to the victim. After the five abdominal thrusts, the mouth should be observed for any foreign object and in the presence of which, the rescuer should sweep it out with the index finger. As the rescuer, when you do not see any foreign object in the mouth, listen for breathing and observe if there is a rise and fall on the victim’s chest part that would indicate breathing.

If the victim is not breathing, pinch the victim’s nose and seal his mouth with your mouth and then breathe into his mouth while observing if there is a rise on the chest part. Otherwise, this would indicate that the airway is still blocked. In such case, repeat the process from the abdominal thrust until the obstruction is dislodged.