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Biomedical subjects

H J Heimlich

Publications and source records attributed to H J Heimlich.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

The Heimlich maneuver. Best technique for saving any choking victim's life.

The American Red Cross (ARC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) advocated backslaps, chest thrusts, and abdominal thrusts for 10 years after the Heimlich maneuver was introduced in 1974. Even after the Surgeon General in 1985 declared these methods to be "hazardous, even lethal," the ARC and the AHA continue to recommend backslaps and chest thrusts for infants under 1 year of age. ARC and AHA instructional materials that advocate use of these methods have not been recalled, and the public has not been warned of the dangers. One cause of the confusion about backslaps is the flawed belief that gas pressure alone removes a foreign body. In addition, there is lack of understanding that, compared with the Heimlich maneuver, the backslap produces an insignificant amount of the energy required to expel an object from the airway. In fact, the energy produced by the backslap drives the foreign object in the wrong direction, toward the lungs, while the energy produced by the Heimlich maneuver drives the object away from the lungs, toward the mouth. Backslaps and chest thrusts should be publicly recalled as a treatment for choking infants before further deaths and injuries occur. The Heimlich maneuver is the best rescue technique for treating choking victims of all ages.

Airway Obstruction↗
PubMed1977

Complications associated with the use of gastrointestinal stapling devices.

Complications arising in the intraoperative and postoperative period were assessed over a 2-year period in 132 patients in whom gastroinestinal operations had been performed using the TA-type or GIA-type stapling devices. Specific complications are described and their relationship to the staple-suture technique is evaluated. Bleeding from the anastomotic line is believed to be a complication directly attributable to the technique. Technical errors in the use of the device, as well as mechanical malfunction, can contribute to morbidity or mortality. Methods for avoding staple-related complications are suggested. The history of stapling instruments is reviewed briefly.

Digestive System Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed1975

Hamartomatous polyp of the esophagus.

Hamartomatous polyp of the cervical esophagus in a 60-year-old man was treated by local resection, and the patient did well. The histopathologic findings showed a predominance of cartilaginous tissue, but the specimen also contained glandular structures and adipose tissue. The diagnosis was choristoma or hamartoma. Review of the literature shows this to be the third case reported.

Esophageal Neoplasms↗
PubMed1975

Food-choking and drowning deaths prevented by external subdiaphragmatic compression. Physiological basis.

Applying subdiaphragmatic compression has been successful in saving victims of food-choking and drowning by expelling the asphyxiating bolus or aspirated water. Sudden elevation of the diaphragm compresses the lungs, which explosively forces air out through the trachea, ejecting the obstructing object. The flow rate, pressure, and volume of air expelled were determined in 10 subjects and found to be substantial, providing confirmation of the effectiveness of the procedure.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Reversed gastric tube (RGT) esophagoplasty for failure of colon, jejunum and prosthetic interpositions.

Reversed gastric tube (RGT) esophagoplasty is preferred by the author as the primary procedure for esophageal replacement. Many patients undergoing RGT esophagoplasty, however, have previously had multiple operative procedures. A particularly challenging problem in esophageal reconstruction is the patient who has already had unsuccessful intestinal or prosthetic interposition operations in attempts to reconstruct the esophagus. In such patients, it has been possible to replace the esophagus by means of the RGT operation. Of 67 RGT esophagoplasties, 9 patients (13.4%) had previous interposition operations that had failed. Six had undergone colon interposition; 2 of these had strictured, 1 had partially sloughed leaving a cervical salivary fistula, and in 1 the proximal end was never patent. In each instance, bypass with RGT was performed without resecting the colon transplant. The colon had necrosed and was removed in 2 patients. Of the remaining 3 patients, in 1 a plastic esophageal prothesis had sloughed and two had free jejunal transplants, 1 of which had impaired vascularity and the other had fibrosed. The specific techniques used to reconstruct the esophagus by reversed gastric tube esophagoplasty, as they relate to this particular group of patients, are described.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Case for pneumatic dilatation in achalasia.

A standardized method of performing pneumatic dilatation for the treatment of achalasia is described. Twenty-five patients were treated in this manner and 80% had excellent results. There was minimal morbidity and no mortality. Pneumatic dilatation is recommended as the primary procedure for achalasia as it is a simple and safe procedure which avoids unnecessary surgery. Local topical anesthesia, rather than general, is utilized and hospitalization time is two days, rather than the 14 days required following surgery. The Heller operation can be performed when pneumatic dilatation is unsuccessful.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relearning the swallowing process.

Three patients were encountered who had physical defects that prevented them from swallowing food. They had received nourishment for a long period of time by means of tube feedings, gastrostomy in two cases and nasogastric tube in the third. Following surgical correction of the physical problems, they were still unable to swallow food. It was conceived that they had forgotten how to swallow. A program to enable them to relearn the technique of swallowing was established, similar to that used in premature infants. The three patients were successfully rehabilitated, able to eat a regular diet. The method is being evaluated in stroke patients who have lost the ability to swallow food and saliva.

Adolescent↗