Heimlich maneuver can prevent drowning

The Heimlich maneuver, the universally preferred technique used to
aid choking victims, can also be used to save drowning victims' lives as
well, the

Heimlich Institute announced yesterday.

Although the

American Heart Association has recommended using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for drowning, the practice is dangerous because rescuers are unable to blow air into water-blocked lungs, the institute explains.

In drowning cases, "the first step should be the Heimlich maneuver. In a matter of seconds, it clears the airway of water, enabling the victim to breathe," said Dr. Henry Heimlich, president of the institute that bears his name.

The Heimlich maneuver consists of pressing the victim's diaphragm upward, which diminishes the volume of the chest cavity and compresses the lungs uniformly. This forces water out of the lungs, in much the same way the maneuver produces airflow in choking victims, carrying foreign objects away from the lungs and out of the mouth.

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Heimlich cites two tragic drowning cases from 1998, in which a 13-month-old from Kentucky and a 9-month-old from Ohio fell into buckets of water and drowned. Both babies died despite the fact that both mothers performed CPR as instructed by 911 operators, who were following American Heart Association guidelines. If the mothers had used the Heimlich maneuver to clear water from the lungs, statistics show the children would probably have survived, the celebrated doctor claims.

"While a growing number of lifeguards are being trained to use the Heimlich maneuver ... many Americans still mistakenly believe that CPR is the first step to rescue a drowning victim," the institute declared in a statement, which was released in cooperation with the

Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine promotes preventive medicine and higher standards in medical research, education, and practice. Based in Washington, D.C., PCRM has 5,000 members, including physicians and other health professionals and more than 100,000 laypeople. Heimlich serves as a member of PCRM's advisory board.