Heimlich maneuver /hīm″lik, -lish/ [H.J. Heimlich, American physician, b. 1920; Fr, manjuvre, work done by hand] , an emergency procedure for dislodging a bolus of food or another obstruction from the trachea to prevent asphyxiation. The choking person is grasped from behind by the rescuer, whose fist, thumb side in, is placed just below the victim’s xiphoid with the other hand placed firmly over the fist. The rescuer then pulls the fist firmly and abruptly upward into the epigastrium, forcing the obstruction up the trachea. If repeated attempts do not clear the airway, an emergency cricothyrotomy may be necessary. Also called abdominal thrust.
