Heimlich maneuver
The Heimlich maneuver is a first aid technique that is used in case of a choking hazard due to foreign objects (e.g. during food consumption) in the respiratory tract. The first responder embraces the standing or sitting patient from behind and crosses his hands below the sternum in the so-called epigastrium. Then he provokes one or several forceful pressure surges in direction of the diaphragm, pushing it upwards, which leads to a sudden intrathoracic pressure increase, so that the foreign object in the bronchi or trachea can be spit out.
