Rotation to relieve choking?

[tigershell339]

Ok, so I was told a story the other day and I am extremely skeptical, yet also very curious about any possible pieces of truth behind it. Please do not criticize me for it, I realize it is total hearsay, which is why I am being realistic about the possibility of being completed made-up or overly exaggerated. I only ask because I see no harm in discussing it. Maybe there is some nugget of truth behind the exaggeration.

A woman I meet recently told me a story after she learned I am an EMT. She actually asked me to explain to her what happened, but I couldn't. She was supposedly having dinner with a friend who was eating a salad when the woman choked on a piece of lettuce. The Heimlich maneuver was attempted by the first woman, with no success. After the choking woman collapsed to the ground, a police officer happened to walk in the restaurant and then came over to provide aid.

Supposedly he confidently and nonchalantly walked over and lifted the unconscious, choking woman's head almost completely upright, then turned her head to the side and she suddenly took a breath in and immediately began to breath again one her own and quickly regained consciousness.

The woman who told me the story says she had previous basic cpr training and cert training, so I expect that she would not confuse a head-tilt chin-lift with what she described, but it is entirely possible.

I realize there is good reason to be highly skeptical and I'm not going to go out and trying to test this theory out, I'm just curious. Has anyone ever heard of anything remotely similar being real?

Edited September 8, 2011 by tigershell339

[uglyEMT]

OK knowing this is third party speak I understand some answers can't be given. But here goes my take on this...

Is it possible that before the supposed head lift and roatation the officer looked into the womens mouth, noticed the obstruction, and tilted the head to the side to clear it? Same as you would say and unconcious patient that vomited? Rotation to clear the sputem before suction applied.

It could be the hymlic worked and the piece of lettuce was right at the back of the throat but still blocking the airway and the simple rotation of the head was enough to let the piece of lettuce fall away from the airway thus allowing the patient to breath?

I know of a choking victim that had an ice cube lodged in the throat, hymlic did nothing to releave it but once the patient went unconsious and was layed flat, the natural heat of the throat, body position and probably a great deal of luck melted the ice enough to allow airflow, a few minutes later patient was consious and alert.

As they say, all great stories have a nugget of truth.

[DwayneEMTP]

Yeah, I'm calling bullshit on the story, particularly the nonchalant part, as I don't know of any medic, and I've been blessed to know some really smart and confident medics, that would be nonchalant when confronted with a choking victim that has gone unresponsive.

The most important point for me here is this...Though I completely get where you're coming from, I see no reason here that you should be criticized at all. I think that this is a great question and I'm grateful that you've brought it here.

Now, as often happens I may be proved wrong here, but I know of no magic head/neck movement guaranteed to clear an airway blocked by a foreign body, and if there was such a movement I'm confident it would be taught to medics before cops.

Though I've only had two choking/unresponsive calls (I've been sent on a bunch that turned out to be something else), one ped, one adult, in my short career, I can tell you that I didn't enter those scenes confident in my ability to create a positive outcome...there are just to many variables involved...

Dwayne

[crotchitymedic1986]

It is possible, not probable, as we all know that ETT's that are not secured well can slip up or down 1-2inches when a patient moves their head, and it is only a piece of lettuce.