Background: A year ago we launched a survey titled, “Dysphagia fears.” It was a 3 question survey, click here, to view a write up of the survey results. We received 180 responses and of those, 37 were from “someone who suffers from a swallowing disorder and their care givers.” The #1 fear was “Chocking / Suffocating,” followed closely by the #2 fear, “Aspiration Pneumonia.”
The New York Times published an article on September 14, 2015 titled, “What Comes After the Heimlich Maneuver.” The article gist is what to do in the unfortunate circumstance when the Heimlich maneuver doesn’t work. The article says, “Knowing what to do, both initially and if the Heimlich fails to dislodge a tracheal obstruction, can be lifesaving.” It also offers important tips for both adults and children on safe eating techniques. An ounce of prevention in this case is worth much more than a pound of cure. The article wraps up with a treatment of last resort, a criothyrotomy, which the author claims is easier and quicker to perform than an emergency tracheotomy.
Click here to read the article.