What it means
First aid for a conscious adult or child who is choking and cannot cough, speak or breathe. The rescuer stands behind the person, places a fist just above the navel and below the breastbone, and gives quick inward and upward thrusts until the object comes out or the person becomes unresponsive. It is named after Henry Heimlich, the American surgeon who described it in 1974, and is also called abdominal thrusts.
For the nurse
For a pregnant or very large person, give chest thrusts instead. For an infant, give back blows and chest thrusts, never abdominal thrusts. If the person becomes unresponsive, call for help and start cardiopulmonary resuscitationkar-dee-oh-PUL-muh-nair-ee rih-sus-ih-TAY-shunEmergency chest compressions, with or without rescue breaths, to keep blood flowing when the heart has stopped.cardi/o heartpulmon/o lung-ary relating toresuscitation bringing back to lifeFull entry .
At a glance
| Spanish | maniobra de Heimlich |
|---|---|
| Also written | Heimlich manoeuvre, abdominal thrusts |
Related terms
aspiration
Breathing food, liquid, saliva or stomach contents into the airway and lungs; also, drawing fluid out with suction or a needle.
cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Emergency chest compressions, with or without rescue breaths, to keep blood flowing when the heart has stopped.
airway
The passages that carry air into and out of the lungs, from the nose and mouth to the smallest air tubes.