Using the Heimlich maneuver to save near-drowning victims

Abstract
Over the centuries, many imaginative methods have been devised to rescue victims from drowning. Some of them even appeared to work, probably because they were crude forms of the Heimlich maneuver. The authors explain the principles that keep the water in the victim's lungs even though he or she is upended. They then describe the technique for clearing the lungs of water so that air can get in.