Why YSK:
Despite choking being an emergency, until recently there has been limited high-quality evidence to guide bystanders on the most effective way to help. Techniques like abdominal thrusts (formerly known as the Heimlich maneuver), back blows and chest compressions or thrusts have existed since the mid-1900s but, until recently, recommendations were largely based on case reports rather than rigorous scientific data. This evidence gap is dangerous.
Bystander response is the primary driver of a choking person’s outcome, so ensuring people know the safest and most effective way to care for a choking person can save lives.
Please see the article for the full piece, it’s not long.
Article authors:
- Cody Dunne - Emergency Medicine Physician and PhD Candidate, University of Calgary
- Andrew McRae - Associate Professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary
- Khara Sauro - Associate professor, Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Calgary
If you need more motivation to open the article, here is an interesting fact:
New research suggests back blows cleared choking obstructions in 72 per cent of cases, superior to both abdominal thrusts (59 per cent) and chest thrusts (27 per cent).
This is interesting because CPR/first aid classes specifically teach (taught) that back blows are harmful and cause obstructions to get lodged lower in the airway except for very young people who you can turn upsidedownish. Time to rethink. Love it!
I was taught the same as a part of nurse training - maybe I was given outdated information, I don’t know. Bu t of course I was surprised by the article
My most recent bls cpr recert talked about back blows, and said chest thrusts before abdominal thrusts.
Chest thrusts as in chest compressions? Like when the heart stops? What if the heart is still beating??
No, not chest compressions, though that IS what you go to if they don’t stop choking, and then become unconscious (because not breathing is a direct path to not beating). Again, I’ll refer to the wikipedia article someone else has posted in these comments, but chest ‘thrusts’ are similar to the abdominal thrust, but your hands are placed higher, around the rib cage rather than just under it as with the heimlich/abdominal.
I really hope it’s about Heimlich, not really thrusts :)
“Are you choking? Here comes the punch!”
When giving the back blows, you should have the person bend over first.
Since when? Current Resus Council (UK) guidelines are for back blows first. You make sure the person is bending over forwards first.
Specifically… Right up until they changed it just last year.
Things like this and CPR get changed more often than a lot of people would expect (which is also to say most people never know it changes) but it all gets changed based on what seems like it has the best outcome based on the information\data at hand. Usually there’s one or two adjustments every decade. Make some changes and then see if odds improve over the course of years.
That’s misinformation sponsored by heimlich himself