How to perform the heimlich manoeuvre on yourself

[superbeets]

An architect saved himself from choking to death by self-performing the Heimlich manoeuvre .



James Murray, 47, from Elloughton, East Riding of Yorkshire, began choking on a sandwich he made in his kitchen late last Friday.
His wife desperately tried to dislodge the bread from his windpipe by using the internationally-recognised technique, but to no avail.
But then Mr Murray remembered an article published earlier this month, and managed to save his own life.
The article explained that by pushing your chest against the back of a chair, you can clear your airways.
It took a couple of attempts before the food became dislodged.
The father-of-three says he firmly believes that article is the only reason he is alive today.
Mr Murray, who runs his own firm, said: 'Reading the article saved my life. I cannot put into words my thanks for everyone involved.

 

[superbeets]

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His wife, Rachel, 41, desperately tried to dislodge bread from his windpipe by using the technique after part of his sandwich got stuck in his throat - but it was to no avail due to her short stature (pictured together)

At around 10.45pm last Friday, Mr Murray decided to make himself a beef sandwich and a cup of tea in his open-plan kitchen.
After taking his first and only bite into his snack, he accidentally knocked over a tub of butter onto the floor.




As he bent down to pick up the lid, he suddenly found himself unable to breathe as a piece of bread became lodged in his throat.
Survival instincts kicked in and his wife, Rachel, 41, screamed for their son, Patrick, 17, to call 999.
Meanwhile, she grabbed hold of him from behind and tried performing the Heimlich manoeuvre.
However, because of her petite stature it wasn't forceful enough.
Panicking, Mr Murray remembered the article, which included a video demonstrating how to self-perform the procedure, publishedon April 13.
He stumbled to one of his dining chairs and started to push his weight against the back of the chair, in the same way he was advised to in the piece.

 

[superbeets]

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It took just a couple of attempts of pushing his chest against the back of a chair, like he had read, to clear his airways (pictured are Mrs Murray and their children Patrick, 11, Pierce, 17, and Alice, 13)

Throughout the terrifying ordeal, his son kept on pleading for the ambulance to hurry up.
His wife continued to bang his back with her fist while he attempted to dislodge the food himself.
Eventually, a couple of small parts of the sandwich were coughed up, alongside blood and other fluid remnants from his lungs.
Paramedics arrived on the scene minutes later and were able to take over the situation.
Unable to sleep for two nights, Mr Murray decided to wait for a few days until he was less emotional before contacting MailOnline.
He hopes speaking out will help others to become aware of the technique and how it could save lives.
In fact, he said he has since heard from one of his clients that they too used the technique on themselves after reading the same article after choking on some food.
Dr Nick Hopkinson, who was one of the researchers behind the original study at The Royal Brompton Hospital, was delighted to hear about the news.
He said: 'Our team here at Royal Brompton Hospital were delighted to hear this.
'The whole point of doing research into breathing problems is to be able to make a difference to people’s lives.
'It’s really important to make sure that as many people as possible are aware of this life-saving technique so that they can use it if they are with someone who is choking or are themselves choking.'

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Mr Murray, who runs his own architect firm, told MailOnline: 'Reading the article saved my life. I cannot put into words my thanks for everyone involved' (pictured, his family on holiday two years ago)

 

[superbeets]

HOW TO PERFORM THE HEIMLICH MANOEUVRE ON YOURSELF

According to researchers at The Royal Brompton Hospital, giving yourself a Heimlich manoeuvre could save your life.
But how do you perform one on yourself when no first-aider is around to help you?
Here, MailOnline reveals exactly how you can, either by using a chair or using your hand.



USING A CHAIR
Step one: If you find yourself choking, find yourself a chair to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on, Dr Hopkinson says (pictured left)
Step two: Line your abdomen area up to the flat back of a chair for the best way of targeting the airways (pictured middle)
Step three: From here, use both hands to grip the chair and then push against it to exert enough force to try and dislodge the obstruction (pictured right)
Dr Hopkinson added that using the corner of a chair may cause injuries, so chokers should stick to exerting force on the back of one.




USING YOUR HAND
Emma Hammett, the founder of First Aid for Life, explained how to perform this technique in a piece in January.
She said that chokers should put a bunched fist in the space just underneath their rib cage and tummy button.
They should then use their other hand to push up and in sharply in a J-shaped motion, she told The Hippocratic Post.

 

[ScottL]

Thanks SB!

 

[carlspackler]

What good is a wife if she cannot prevent you from chocking to death?

 

[ScottL]

What good is a wife if she cannot prevent you from chocking to death?

What if she's out at her book club meeting while you're "chocking?"