Heimlich Unveils Maneuver: A New Life-Saving Technique Emerges
Dr. Henry Heimlich published his abdominal thrust technique for choking victims in the journal Emergency Medicine on June 1, 1974. The method works by compressing the diaphragm, forcing air up through the trachea to expel the obstruction. Before the Heimlich maneuver, the recommended response to choking was back blows, which were often ineffective and could push the object further into the airway. Heimlich's technique was quickly adopted by the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross. An estimated 50,000 lives have been saved by the technique in the United States alone. Heimlich himself performed it for the first time on another person in 2016, at age 96, saving a woman choking on a hamburger in his retirement home. He died later that year.
June 1, 1974
52 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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