Heimlich Maneuver Complications: A Systematic Review

Complications of the Heimlich Maneuver: Isolated Sternum Fracture

Introduction: Heimlich maneuver is one of the first-aid maneuvers administered when the upper airway obstruction symptoms develop. Case Report: A 33-year-old female patient presented with sternum fracture due to the Heimlich maneuver. Conclusion: Sternal fracture can be developed after the Heimlich maneuver. In addition, the importance of bedside ultrasonography in the detection of fractures in...

The Heimlich maneuver.

Dysphagia after Heimlich maneuver.

(CHEST 2004; 125:302–304) A 56-year-old man presented with complaints of dysphagia and shortness of breath for the past 2 days. He denied chest pain, cough, fever, chills, or chest trauma. Ten days prior to hospital admission, the patient was self-treated with the Heimlich maneuver after choking on a piece of candy. The patient had a 120 –pack-year history of smoking and a medical history signi...

Valsalva Retinopathy Associated with Choking and Heimlich Maneuver

Valsalva is “a particular form of retinopathy, pre-retinal and hemorrhagic in nature, secondary to a sudden increase in intrathoracic pressure”. Increasing intrathoracic pressure against a closed glottis diminishes venous return to the heart, decreasing stroke volume and subsequently increasing the venous system pressure. Here we report a case of 52-year-old male who presented with a sudden cen...

Airway obstructed by foreign material: the Heimlich maneuver.

To investigate the application of a cough-creating thrust for the removal of airway-obstructing foreign material, the thrust was applied to six adult male anesthetized volunteers at the waist, at the low chest level, and at the midchest level, with the subjects in both the horizontal-lateral and the sitting positions. Air volume, peak air flow rate, and airway measurements were made. Both the l...