Heimlich Maneuver Administration
This playbook provides detailed steps on how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on choking individuals. It includes methods tailored for different age groups, such as adults, children, and infants.
Step 1: Verify Choking
Ask the individual if they are choking and look for signs of distress, like inability to talk, cough, or breathe.
Step 2: Call for Help
If the person is indeed choking and cannot cough, speak, or breathe, immediately call for emergency medical help.
Step 3: Obtain Consent
Before you begin, get consent from the choking individual if they're conscious. For children, obtain consent from the guardian if present.
Step 4: Position Yourself
Stand behind the person, wrap your arms around their waist, and lean them forward slightly.
Step 5: Make a Fist
Make a fist with one hand and place the thumb side of your fist against the person's abdomen, just above the navel and well below the ribcage.
Step 6: Perform Thrusts
Grasp your fist with your other hand and make quick, upward thrusts into the abdomen. Continue until the object is expelled or the person becomes unconscious.
Step 7: Repeat if Necessary
If the blockage is not removed, repeat the abdominal thrusts until medical help arrives or the blockage is dislodged.
Step 8: For Infants
For infants under one year old, perform back slaps and chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts: Hold the infant face down on your forearm, with their head lower than their torso, and give five firm back slaps between their shoulder blades. If the object doesn't dislodge, turn the infant over and give five chest thrusts using two fingers in the center of the chest.
Step 9: Unconscious Individual
If the person becomes unconscious, carefully lower them to the ground and begin CPR, checking periodically for the blockage in the throat.
General Notes
Caution
Never perform the Heimlich maneuver on someone who can cough, speak, or breathe.
After Care
After a choking episode, have the individual seek medical attention to check for injuries and ensure no partial blockage remains.
Training
Proper training is recommended before performing the Heimlich maneuver to avoid causing harm. Consider taking a certified first-aid course.