The Heimlich Maneuver is also known as abdominal thrusts and is a method used to clear an obstruction when someone is choking. If you take a free BLS (basic life support) course or register to get CPR certified online, you will learn how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver effectively. The Heimlich Maneuver or abdominal thrusts is an effective way to help someone who is choking and is able to be performed by anyone if you learn it correctly.
If someone is choking and you need to perform the Heimlich Maneuver always ask their permission before touching them. Common consensus is that if the individual is unconscious or unable to answer, the answer is yes because if you do not help them, they could suffer a loss of life or sustain further injuries. Before administering the Heimlich Maneuver, be sure to stand behind them and angle your footing one slightly in front of the other for extra stability and support. Make a fist with one hand and place it above the navel and below the rib cage. Grab your fist with the other hand and start abdominal thrusts. Abdominal thrusts should be pulled back and upwards between six and ten times fairly quickly. Abdominal thrusts should be performed continuously until the obstruction is clear and/or emergency medical help arrives. If the victim is obese or pregnant, chest thrusts should be performed instead of the abdominal thrusts to clear the obstruction. One really neat fact that you will learn when you get BLS certification online is that you can perform the Heimlich Maneuver on yourself if needed! To give yourself abdominal thrusts, you can bend over a chair and position the chair just above the navel to help clear the obstruction. You can also use your own fist to perform the Heimlich Maneuver if you are able to. Always call 911 even if you cannot speak so that emergency personnel can be dispatched to your location for help.
The Heimlich Maneuver is something that everyone should learn how to do. Pediatric first aid certification online courses show you how to do variations of the Heimlich Maneuver so that it can be used effectively on infants and children as well. Learning first aid and CPR helps save lives and brings peace of mind to family, friends, and coworkers knowing that you will know what to do and how to do it if there is ever a medical emergency situation.
