National Heimlich Maneuver Day

Your child has started to choke on a piece of hard candy. They can not breath. Others around start to panic unsure what to do. You, however, have been trained to do the Heimlich maneuver. You use the maneuver the piece of candy flies out and all is better. This is a true scenario that happened to my husband when my son was growing up. It will never be forgot by either of them he was not a small boy but in junior high at the time. My husband thought quickly and learned what he was trained.

The National Heimlich Maneuver Day is observed June 1st every year. The maneuver is a series of abdominal thrusts to force air from the lungs to expel an object that someone is choking on. It was developed by Dr. henry J. Heimlich in 1974. It is a life saving procedure that has helped many in the past. 

The procedure helps dislodge objects in a choking persons throat. In the past before the Heimlich was invented back slapping was the next best thing. Slapping however could cause the object to get more stuck depending on where it was stuck.

If you are interested in learning CPR, The Heimlich or First Aid contact your local hospital or American Red Cross