History of the Heimlich Maneuver

man performing the Heimlich maneuver on a woman

man performing the Heimlich maneuver on a woman

Recently Dr. Henry Heimlich passed away and in his memory we would like to share a brief history of how his discovery changed the world.

In 1972 the Heimlich maneuver was conceived of by Dr. Henry Heimlich, a thoracic surgeon, who noted that many people were dying each year from choking.  He conceptualized using air that was compressed in the lungs to help expel whatever was blocking the windpipe.  Dr. Heimlich first worked on anesthetized dogs in a laboratory in order to perfect his technique. He found that by compressing the abdomen with an upward thrust, he could successfully clear a blockage in the windpipe. Since the invention of this technique, the Heimlich maneuver has saved several million lives.
Link to demonstration of Heimlich Maneuver: http://www.wikihow.com/Perform-the-Heimlich-Maneuver

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