The Heimlich maneuver is a first-aid technique used to help a person who is choking. It is also called an abdominal thrust, because the rescuer applies forceful inward-and-upward pressure to the abdomen to help expel an object blocking the airway.
The technique was publicized by American thoracic surgeon Henry Heimlich and first described in 1974. Its purpose is to create pressure in the chest and airway, producing an artificial cough that may dislodge food or another foreign object from the trachea.
Modern first-aid guidance commonly begins by encouraging a conscious choking person to cough, followed by back blows and then abdominal thrusts when needed. Chest thrusts may be used instead in some situations, including pregnancy or when abdominal pressure is unsuitable. Infants under one year require a different procedure.
The maneuver is specifically for choking, not fainting, bleeding, or drowning. Because thrusts can cause injury, anyone who has received them should be medically assessed, even if the obstruction appears to have cleared.