The heimlich maneuver: Mandatory for nursing home employees

Abstract

A group of nursing home residents are enjoying a pizza party in the activities room. Suddenly, one person in the group begins to choke. Must the activities staff run down the hall to find a nurse? During a hot pack treatment in the physical therapy room, a resident pulls a cookie he'd saved from lunch out of his pocket and puts it into his mouth. Within minutes he becomes cyanotic, and slumps over in his wheelchair. Will there be time to save him? While mopping the hall floor, a housekeeper glances into a room and sees a resident, wide-eyed, frantically clutching her throat, but uttering no sound. Will the housekeeper bring a nurse in time? Many nursing homes train licensed personnel, and some train nursing assistants as well, to rescue the victim of an obstructed airway. Others provide basic rescuer programs through the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross. This is still not enough. Every employee in a nursing home must be trained in the use of the Heimlich Maneuver, no matter what position he or she holds. Unfortunately, nursing home residents often present many of the risk factors that predispose to choking: many wear dentures, have dry mucous membranes due to medication,