Maggie's Farm

At dinner last night, with my lad, we observed the bartender administer the Heimlich Maneuver, successfully, to a person choking on a bite of steak. Seemed like quite a coincidence with our Heimlich post yesterday.

Turned out that the bartender, Manuel, is a part-time EMS guy and had performed this a number of times. Perhaps everybody thinks they know how to do it, but it doesn't hurt to review it all. Of course, the trick is to determine whether choking is a person's emergency, or whether it is something else.

They call choking a "Cafe Coronary" for good reason. Can look like a bad heart attack. Choking can kill you quicker than a heart attack.

Here's a quick reminder of how to do it. Need to use plenty of upward force with one hand as a fist. Don't worry about hurting them.

Here's How to treat choking at home

The Mayo Clinic advises back blows, but many sources say that this makes things worse.

Does a restaurant have a duty to choking patrons? No.

What if a chunk of something is so stubbornly stuck that Heimlich doesn't work, and help is not quickly forthcoming? You can perform an emergency tracheotomy. A ball-point pen comes in handy.