The abdominal thrusts or the Heimlich maneuver is a medical procedure that is intended to assist in the treatment of upper airway obstruction.
American physician Henry Heimlich is well known for his discovery of this maneuver. He invented this procedure in 1940, which is also called the abdominal thrust maneuver.
Heimlich performed the Heimlich maneuver when a patient was experiencing difficulty breathing. A large tube (the cannula) is inserted through the mouth and nose in order to insert the Heimlich device into the throat. The tube is then slowly pushed upwards to the stomach. The Heimlicher device is then inserted into the stomach through the cannula in order to dislodge the obstructive object in the airway. This maneuver may be performed as a stand alone technique, but it is most commonly performed in conjunction with the administration of a tracheal dilator such as the Tracheoscope.
An ultrasonic sound wave is produced by the tracheal dilator during the delivery of the maneuver to dislodge the obstruction. This ultrasonic sound wave is designed to reduce the amount of air pressure in the airway. This allows the airway to pass through the throat and eventually the stomach.
The advantage of using an ultrasonic sound wave is that it not only reduces the amount of air pressure, but also breaks up the obstruction and reduces the risk of an obstruction being made worse. In some cases, this air is then passed back through the airway through the cannula as it moves into the stomach through the trachea.
The effectiveness of the Heimlich maneuver is dependent on the cause of the obstruction as well as the size of the obstruction. In order to perform the maneuver properly, it is essential that the tracheal dilator is attached to the trachea as part of the abdominal thrusts.
During the delivery of the maneuver, the tracheal dilator must not be used. The reason for this is that the dilator may dislodge the airway while delivering the maneuver.
If this happens, the air may be partially re-injected into the airway and this will cause a further obstruction.
After performing the maneuver, the tracheal dilator should be removed from the patient. It is important to note that it is imperative that the tracheal dilator is removed as soon as possible. In addition, it is also important that the tracheal cannula is removed simultaneously.
The effectiveness of the Heimlich maneuver is dependent upon the location and magnitude of the obstruction as well as the size of the obstruction. However, if it is determined that the tracheal obstruction is larger than 3 mm in diameter, the Heimlich maneuver may need to be performed several times in order to dislodge the obstruction.
As part of the Heimlich maneuver, the first step is to open the airway. This can be done through the use of an Epi-pen. However, if the obstruction is larger, it may require the use of the cannula.
The second step in performing the maneuver is to place the oral device into the patient’s mouth. This oral device consists of a cannula that is placed directly into the patient’s windpipe.
The third step in performing the Heimlich maneuver is placing the tracheal dilator into the patient’s throat. This should be done after opening the airway in the first two steps above. The tracheal dilator will provide pressure to reduce the amount of air that is being moved through the airway.
The fourth step in performing the maneuver is the placement of the tracheal dilator in the stomach. This can be done during the fifth step after delivering the Heimlich maneuver. The tracheal dilator should be placed in the stomach approximately thirty seconds following the insertion of the oral device.
