Iesian doctor Tudor Cuhodaru presents a series of measures to know if a person is drowning after swallowing a foreign body, arguing that first aid concepts should be taught in all schools in Romania, including the Heimlich maneuver.

It begins with the case of a 14-year-old girl from Cluj who died after choking on jelly at school.

“Don’t forget the Heimlich maneuver (rescue from suffocation). There are 10 main things. We should all know how to do this. A simple maneuver can save the life of the person next to you, as well as yourself. A 14-year-old girl died after choking on jelly at school. She was NOT alone and not the only wasted life. Romanians are dying because they were not given a life-saving maneuver in time,” the doctor reported on Facebook.

According to him, the Heimlich maneuver is a method of unblocking the airways of a patient who has suffocated due to aspiration of a foreign body.

10 important things about the Heimlich maneuver

“It needs to be taught and practiced in all schools in Romania, along with many other first aid concepts, as provided by the Cuhodar law, which could already save thousands of lives. Otherwise, lack of medical education is often fatal. Until parliamentarians pass my bill, you should know how to do 10 important things,” he states.

And the doctor details:

• Make sure that the victim suffocated due to aspiration of a foreign body (if the obstruction is not complete, the maneuver is ineffective and may cause injuries): aspiration is confirmed (by witnesses, bystanders); he can no longer speak, cough and breathe; an excited patient who is suffocating, involuntarily puts his hand to his throat, and then loses consciousness
• Keep calm, but call for help. Call using 112.
• Raise the patient
• Place yourself behind it
• Hug the patient, placing the stronger fist at the level of the abdomen (between the navel and sternum), over which cover the other hand
• Apply abdominal compression, which should be sudden and deep in the upper abdomen; from the bottom up and from the front back, as if lifting the patient
• Perform 5 such abdominal compressions
• Repeat compressions until the patient has time to expel the aspirated object or loses consciousness
• If the victim has lost consciousness, place him on his back on a hard surface. Begin CPR. Perform the same maneuver, dispersing the victim’s legs. Apply sudden deep compressions to the upper abdomen by placing a strong hand between the navel and sternum and the other hand on top of them.
• Seeking specialized medical help (doctor or assistant) is necessary, regardless of whether the maneuver is successful or not.

“If the patient can still cough, encourage them to continue doing so. A strong cough often expels the foreign body. Beware of the victim falling and suffocating! At some point, he will lose consciousness, fall and may crash. Pregnant and obese women should apply compresses on the chest, in the lower part of the sternum. There is also a Heimlich machine: push with the upper part of the abdomen on a hard horizontal surface, for example, on the back of a chair,” Chiukhodaru added.

He believes that in order to be truly effective, the concepts of first aid must be known (learned, repeated, practiced) like the alphabet or the multiplication table.

“That’s why I want first aid concepts to be taught in all schools in Romania. I hope you will also support this initiative,” said the doctor. (Agerpress)