Abdominal Thrust Maneuver

Abdominal thrusts or the Heimlich maneuver is a first-aid procedure used to treat upper airway obstruction caused by a foreign body. This skill is commonly taught during basic life support (BLS) and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) classes, but it never receives as much attention as chest compressions and rescue breaths do. The abdominal thrust maneuver can be performed in both children and adults via different techniques. In the 1960s, choking on food, toys, and other objects was the sixth leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Slapping individuals on the back was the main response and was frequently found to be ineffective, at times even lodging the object further down. The Heimlich maneuver was initially introduced in 1974 by Dr. Henry Heimlich after proving his theory that the reserve of air in the lung could serve to dislodge objects from the esophagus by quick upwards thrust under the ribcage. The medical community of the time did not embrace the maneuver right away. The American Red Cross (ARC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) continued to promoted backslaps for ten years after the introduction of the Heimlich maneuver. Today, the Heimlich maneuver is accepted and taught during BLS and ACLS for conscious adults, but backslaps are still a recommendation for infants, and chest compressions are recommended for unconscious patients. Furthermore, different techniques of the maneuver have been developed with conflicting effectiveness results.