Viral video of girl saving her brother shines a light on the importance of the Heimlich maneuver
Video showing a girl from Collin County doing the Heimlich maneuver on her younger brother continues making the rounds on social media. North Texas doctors hope it shines a light on the importance of knowing life-saving techniques.
It's the viral video seen across the country showing a 10-year-old Lavon girl saving her choking brother.
"When you're choking, you're basically blocking off your airway, and if you go long enough without air, you end up losing consciousness and you can go into cardiac arrest," Dr. Joshua Haverland said.
Doctor praises life-saving actions caught on viral video
Children's Health emergency medical physician Dr. Joshua Haverland said there's a lot to be learned from the now viral video.
"It's a pretty easy skill, and it's a skill that anyone can do," Haverland said.
The girl's mom said her daughter learned the Heimlich maneuver, also referred to as abdominal thrusts, in a babysitting program.
The Heimlich maneuver: a skill anyone can learn
"First or second graders can learn it, and they're big enough to be able to help out in a situation, especially if it was a younger child or even someone that's older, if they're the only ones around," Haverland said.
Choking is the fourth leading overall cause of accidental death and results in almost 6,000 deaths a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's why Haverland is encouraging everyone to learn the life-saving technique.
"Almost universally, the signal for choking is someone grabbing at their airway at their neck," Haverland said. "Come up behind the person, wrap your arms around them, and you're going to find where their belly button is and go just a little bit above their belly button. You're going to want to make a fist and put that fist against their stomach and put your other hand around them. Press back towards you and upwards."
Haverland said the Heimlich maneuver is slightly different for pregnant women and babies.
"When you're doing Heimlich on a pregnant woman, you just want to go above the bump of the baby and still push up just above the bump and still try to push up and push that air out," Haverland said. "For a baby, you'll want to do a series of back blows while it's face down."
CPR knowledge is equally vital
American Heart Association spokesperson Karen Springs said knowing CPR is also critical.
"You come upon the scene, and you see that someone's collapsed. 'Are you all right? Are you okay? Help, help!' You're getting someone to help you, and you need to be very specific. 'You in the pink jacket. Go get me an aid and call 911.' Then you start chest compressions," Springs said
"You're basically going to find the center of their chest, and you're going to overlap two hands on the center of their chest," Haverland said. "You're going to want to be pushing forcefully down just on the center of their chest."
Both techniques could help save a stranger or a loved one. That's something the Lavon sister learned firsthand.