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Sep 07, 2017

What To Do When You’re Alone and Choking

Choking is a life-threatening event. Without the proper action serious consequences can occur. Heimlich Heroes™ trains people how to recognize, respond to and prevent a choking emergency. Our mission is to eliminate preventable choking deaths by preparing people for choking emergencies.

Imagine? you begin to choke; you can't breath, your lips start to turn blue and you're alone. Would you know what to do?

It's a scary situation whether you're in a room full of people or alone at home. But there is a fast and effective solution: the Heimlich Maneuver®.

The best way to dislodge an obstruction is the Heimlich Maneuver. And if you're alone, you can perform the Self-Heimlich.

Even though you won't be able to speak when you're choking, call 9-1-1 so help is on the way if you need it. Then take action to dislodge the obstruction.

Here's how you can save your life with the Self-Heimlich:

  • Position yourself behind a chair or on the edge of a table.
  • Press your abdomen, the same area you'd place your fist on another person, against a table or chair with quick inward and upward thrusts.
  • Repeat until the object is dislodged.

You can also watch the Heimlich Heroes Self-Heimlich video for a closer look at how to perform the maneuver on yourself.

While the Heimlich Maneuver is a well-know technique, many people don't know about the Self-Heimlich. Stacy Brigante, a Heimlich Heroes customer, was one of those people, until she led a Heimlich Heroes training event.

Several years ago, Brigante suffered from a stroke that left her right vocal cord paralyzed, making it hard for her to swallow. When she began to choke while alone at home, she knew what to do.

Brigante recalled, "I remembered I could push a chair into my abdomen to perform the Heimlich on myself. I ran into the dining room and did just that. Had I not taught [Heimlich Heroes], I wouldn't have known about this, and the consequences could have been severe."

Anyone can save a life? even your own! To learn more about our available training programs visit our website and register your group today.