Choking victims could perform Heimlich manoeuvre on themselves
Researchers found that it is just as effective to perform the Heimlich monoeuvre on yourself as it is for someone else applying it on you, according to the Independent.
The technique is used to clear the airways of choking victims and involves a series of short, sharp, upward thrusts on the abdomen. The thrusts are usually performed by a helper. However, victims could perform the thrusts themselves, using the arms of a chair. This would produce “similar pressures to those performed by another person”, according to a new study published in the journal Thorax.
Scientists from the Royal Brompton Hospital and Imperial College in London believe people should be taught how to apply the Heimlich manoeuvre on themselves in basic first aid training. They described how the procedure can be performed: “The participant positions their own hands in the standard position for the abdominal manoeuvre and performs thrusts increasing to the maximal force they can tolerate.” The standard position means the person has to stay with their fists clasped together and placed over the fleshy part of the abdomen, above the navel.
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The researchers measured the body’s response to different moves and found that chair thrusts produce higher pressures than if the manoeuvre was performed by another person. These thrusts can be carried out by positioning the body “above a high backed chair, with the chair back positioned below the upper half of the abdomen, below the ribcage.”
“Using gravity, bodyweight and arms for additional force, the participant allows the back of the chair to thrust up into their abdomen”.
The researchers think that everyone experiencing severe choking should either do the Heimlich manoeuvre on themselves or use a chair to help with the thrusts. They also advise that the procedures should be taught in schools, on first aid courses and to catering staff.
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