Creator of the Heimlich manoeuvre Dr Henry Heimlich died at the of 96 after suffering from a heart attack on Saturday. The technique created to prevent people from choking has saved thousands in the US alone.
When he created the manoeuvre in 1974, Heimlich was director of surgery at the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati. The technique has been used by many celebrities as well, such as Clint Eastwood, to save other people's lives, while Cher and Justin Timberlake owe their lives to this technique.
He was also known for creating a chest drain valve that reportedly saved soldiers and civilians during the Vietnam war. But he had a fair share of controversy for his theories. He believed that injecting patients with a curable form of malaria could trigger immunity in patients with the HIV virus that causes Aids.
He worked in northwest China in 1942 during the Second World War to treat Chinese and American lives in the Gobi desert.
According to Mayo Clinic, here's how you can perform a Heimlich manoeuvre on someone else:
1. Stand behind the person. Wrap your arms around their waist. Tip the person forward slightly.
2. Make a fist with one hand. Position it slightly above the person's navel.
3. Grasp the fist with the other hand. Press hard into the abdomen with a quick, upward thrust — as if trying to lift the person up.
4. Perform a total of 5 abdominal thrusts, if needed. If the blockage still isn't dislodged, repeat the five-and-five cycle.
If the person becomes unconscious, perform standard CPR with chest compressions and rescue breaths.
From Visually.
To perform Heimlich manoeuvre on yourself:
1. Place a fist slightly above your navel.
2. Grasp your fist with the other hand and bend over a hard surface — a countertop or chair will do.
3. Shove your fist inward and upward.
