{"title":"How to Do the Heimlich Maneuver","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/health-basics/how-to-do-the-heimlich-maneuver","category":{"slug":"health-basics","name":"Health Basics"},"creator":{"name":"ProCPR","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/@ProCPR","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOTbjDGZ7wg"},"tldr":"Learn the Heimlich maneuver step by step. Find the landmark, place the fist above the belly button, drive inward and upward. Pregnant variant included.","totalDurationSeconds":285,"difficulty":"easy","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Recognize a Full Airway Obstruction","text":"The signs are unmistakable. They can't cough, can't breathe, can't speak. They may grab at their throat - the universal sign for choking. If air is moving (any cough, any wheeze, any sound), encourage them to keep coughing. If nothing is moving, this is a full block and you need to act."},{"number":2,"title":"Get Permission","text":"Approach calmly, look them in the eye, and ask 'Are you choking?' If they nod yes, say 'I know how to help you. May I help?' Get a yes (or a nod) before you touch a conscious person. It takes two seconds and is both legally and ethically important."},{"number":3,"title":"Find the Belly Button","text":"Stand behind them and wrap your arms around their waist. The belly button is your only landmark - it tells you where everything else goes. Get oriented before you make a fist."},{"number":4,"title":"Place the Fist","text":"Make a fist with one hand and tuck your thumb in (don't poke them with the thumb tip). Place the thumb-side of the fist on the soft abdomen, just above the belly button and well below the xiphoid process - the bony tip of the breastbone. This is the soft spot directly over the diaphragm."},{"number":5,"title":"Wrap Your Other Hand Around the Fist","text":"Grab your fist with your other hand. Keep your elbows pointed out and away from the person's ribs - you don't want to crack ribs while you're trying to clear an airway. Your forearms should rest against their lower abdomen."},{"number":6,"title":"Thrust Inward and Upward","text":"Pull both hands toward you and up at the same time - the J-shaped motion drives the diaphragm up, which compresses the lungs and shoots air up the windpipe. That blast of air is what pops the obstruction out.Keep going. Each thrust is a separate, distinct, full-strength movement. Don't rest until the object comes out or the person becomes unresponsive."},{"number":7,"title":"Get Them Checked After","text":"Even when the object comes out and they're breathing again, abdominal thrusts can occasionally cause internal bruising or rib injuries. Call 911 if you haven't already and let EMS check them out. If they refuse the ride, encourage a same-day visit with their doctor."},{"number":8,"title":"Pregnant or Larger Person: Use Chest Thrusts","text":"If the person is visibly pregnant or so large that you can't get your arms around their waist, do chest thrusts instead. Place your fist on the lower half of the breastbone (sternum), grab it with the other hand, and pull straight back into their chest. The compressions on the lungs do the same job as the abdominal thrust without putting pressure on a baby or strain on a too-wide abdomen."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T13:32:48.737Z","published":"2026-04-27T16:47:36.169Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}