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2/8 2011; suffocation?

I am sitting here reading about the anatomy of the thorax (rib cage etc). As I was reading I stumbled across something called the Heimlich maneuver. Many of you might know what this is already, you might have seen it in a movie or even performed it yourself. Well, I have seen it in movies but I've never, thankfully, ever felt the need to use it. This is the description taken straight from a book named Human Anatomy & Physiology (Marieb & Hoehn):

"Tracheal obstruction is life threatening. Many people have suffocated after choking on a piece of food that suddenly closed off their trachea. The Heimlich maneuver, a procedure in which air in the victim's lungs is used to "pop out," or expel, an obstructing piece of food, has saved many people from becoming victims of "café coronaries." The maneuver is simple to learn and easy to do. However, it is best learned by demonstration because cracked ribs are a distinct possibility when it is done incorrectly". (C) Marieb & Hoehn.

It is basically when you are choking on a piece of food and not being able to breath due to the blocking of your trachea (where it divides into two separate Bronchi - right & left), that the Heimlich maneuver should be used. Below you'll see a picture of the trachea, the main passage of air to lungs:

This frightened me to some extent, considering I have seen my mum choking on food so many times. Never did I think it could have a such a tragic end, suffocation. Nevertheless, do NOT perform this on a person who can clearly cough out the food piece themself. There is a possibility, when using this technique inaccurately, to break the ribs of the person recieving the maneuver. However, if the person choking on a piece of food is performing a weak or ineffective cough, this maneuver might just be a lifesaver.

So how do you actually perform The Heimlich maneuver on another person? Well, I found a really good link that describe the process step by step. It's easy and everyone can learn how to do it. However, I can not certify that this is the correct way of performing the maneuver. But it seems accurate. It would be good if you had the time to check it with other sources, to avoid any missunderstanding taking place when such event occurs. Here is the link:

http://www.ehow.com/how_14949_heimlich-maneuver.html

There is a good tip portrayed on the site saying:

"Teach your family the universal choking sign--clutching the throat. Encourage everyone you know to become familiar with this sign and use it when choking".


I felt responsible to educate people straight after I read this. Especially people in my surrounding, like my friends and family. Hopefully they'll see this post and, if they didn't know already, learned something new.  Who knows, maybe you will be a lifesaver one day.

Images used:

http://img.tfd.com/dorland/trachea.jpg

http://images.tribe.net/tribe/upload/photo/c07/b2e/c07b2e6f-44b7-4eb2-a5d3-fd90f2942275

 

Postad den 2011-08-02 @ 09:46:36
Postad i Auckland, NZ | Kommentarer (0)

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