Question:
Does the Heimlich Maneuver work on us now?

Can the heimlich (spelling?) maneuver be used on people who have had WLS? I don't think there is enough air pressure in our small stomachs to pop any blockage...am I worried about nothing? I have choked in the past prior to surgery and am always scared now.    — Naomi K. (posted on December 18, 2001)

December 18, 2001
The Heimlich maneuver is used to dislodge food (or another foreign body) that's blocking the trachea, and it does so by increasing the pressure in the lungs. The stomach isn't actually involved, so I don't think the surgery would affect how well it works.
   — Kristy S.

December 19, 2001
My twin sister asked the surgeon who performed our WLS this very question. He said "yes, you can still receive the Heimlech but not until you are healed". He said it may harm the new pouch in the early stages and he wouldn't want anyone with a fresh incision to receive it. Intersting question.
   — Marilyn C.

December 19, 2001
I felt I had to respond to an earlier poster. I will say that I have no clue about the Heimlich manuever and WLS, I never thought about it. But for a doctor to say that you can not get the Heimlich manuever when newly post op seems kind of crazy to me....if it comes down to choking to death or possibly harming your pouch and needing treatment, I have to say I'd pick the former. No sense in having wls to save your life and then dying anyway in order to protect your new tummy.
   — [Anonymous]