Henry Heimlich Dies

US doctor Henry Heimlich, who developed a lifesaving technique in 1974, has died aged 96.

09:28 22 December 2016

Dr. Henry Heimlich has died early on Saturday due to complications from a heart attack he suffered on Monday, his family has confirmed. Dr. Heimlich invented the manoeuvre, which uses abdominal thrusts to clear a person’s airway. In a statement released to the media, his family said that he had been “a hero to may people around the world.”

 

"From the time Dad began his medical career in New York City, to the time he practised as a thoracic surgeon in Cincinnati, he was committed to coming up with simple, effective ideas that helped save lives and significantly improved people's quality of life,"

 

In May, Dr. Heimlich saved a woman using the technique after a piece of meat with a bone was dislodged in the 87-year-old’s airway. He said at that time: “I didn’t know I really could do it until the other day.”

 

Dr. Heimlich manoeuvre technique has saved more than 100,000 people in the US alone. They include former President Ronald Reagan, pop star Cher, former New York mayor Edward Koch and Hollywood actors Elizabeth Taylor, Goldie Hawn, Walter Matthau, Carrie Fisher, Jack Lemmon and Marlene Dietrich.