Henry Heimlich, the American who first described the Heimlich manoeuvre in 1974, has actually used the technique in a crisis situation for the first time, aged 96.
The Heimlich manoeuvre, in case you have never been forced to rescue a mate choking on a bit of a Maccas cheeseburger before, is this old chestnut:
Y’know, putting your two hands into a fit below the sternum and giving it a mighty whack, with the goal of dislodging something caught in the windpipe. I’m no doctor. Don’t take my specific mechanical advice on this one.
But yes: Heimlich – who has demonstrated his signature manoeuvre countless times since he first demonstrated, but never on someone who actually needed it – actually used it to save someone. It was at his Cincinnati retirement home, and his ‘patient’ was 87-year-old Patty Ris, who was choking on a burger right next to him.
If you have to be choking on a burger at the age of 87 in a Cincinnati retirement home, the best person you could have next to you is probably the inventor of the Heimlich manoeuvre. In fact, retirement staff were allegedly trained in the technique, but you can’t blame them for stepping out of the way and letting the dude who invented it work his magic.
“The whole thing was very moving to me,” he told the Associated Press. “I never thought that I would be saving someone’s life by doing the Heimlich manoeuvre.”
Despite all the insane hype about this, it’s worth mentioning that the manoeuvre itself isn’t held in quite the same esteem it has in the past. It’s acknowledged that it can cause bruising and rib damage, and its strongly recommended by many medical organisations that try a few trusty back slaps first.
Still, how about it. 96. You wouldn’t bloody read about it.
Source: The Guardian.
Photo: Getty Images.
