The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

August 4, 2010

Man saves life of choking victim

By Kara Van Pelt The Register-Herald

BECKLEY — Let’s face it, accidents happen every day and, unfortunately, some are unavoidable. But as Ryan Scott, a respiratory therapist at Plateau Medical  Center in Oak Hill, found out this past weekend, being prepared is vital in preventing an accident from turning into tragedy.

Scott was having lunch at the medical center when a visitor started choking on her food. He rushed over to assist the woman and performed the Heimlich maneuver, saving her life.

 After the incident, Scott realized how easy it is to choke and how important this life-saving measure is.

 “I have been a respiratory therapist for 12 years,” he said. “And this is the first and only time I have ever had to perform the Heimlich maneuver.”

 “It all happened so quickly,” he said and pointed out a few tips in dealing with similar situations.

 “First of all, stay calm,” he explained. “If the person choking cannot speak, it is a red flag that something needs to be done immediately.”

 HeimlichInstitute.org offers these steps when dealing with a choking adult: From behind, wrap your arms around the victim's waist. Next, make a fist and place the thumb side of your fist against the victim's upper abdomen, below the ribcage and above the navel. Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into their upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Do not squeeze the ribcage; confine the force of the thrust to your hands and repeat until object is expelled.

 The site cautions against slapping a victim on the back as an effort to dislodge objects from an airway because doing so can make the situation worse.

 If you are unable to reach around the choking person or the victim is unconscious, the site recommends following these instructions instead: Place the victim on their back. Facing the victim, kneel astride the victim's hips. With one of your hands on top of the other, place the heel of your bottom hand on the upper abdomen below the rib cage and above the navel. Use your body weight to press into the victim's upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust. Repeat until object is expelled. If the victim has not recovered, proceed with CPR.

 Anyone who has just suffered a choking accident, whether recovered or not, is encouraged to see a physician immediately following the incident.

 Before the Heimlich maneuver was introduced in 1974, choking was the sixth most common cause of accidental death in the United States. Since its introduction, this simple procedure has saved the lives of more than 100,000 people in the United States and thousands more worldwide, the site states.

— E-mail: kvanpelt@register-herald.com

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