Earlier this week, representatives from LifeVac presentaed their product to employees of the Picayune School District. During his demonstration of the product, LifeVac representative Tom Foley mentioned how more people die from choking than any other cause, including fires or drowning. Foley also discussed how LifeVac is a device that becomes a second defense to help people who are choking when the Heimlich maneuver is not working.

While LifeVac provides an alternative to the Heimlich maneuver help people with disabilities, let’s not forget the importance of the Heimlich maneuver. The Heimlich has been used for many years and has helped many individuals during a choking incident. And the best part, no special tool is required to carry around with you.

Most students in high school take a healthcare class where they learn how to perform basic CPR in order to help others in case an emergency arises. If students decide to find a career in the healthcare field, they will perform basic CPR at some point, most likely saving that person’s life.

Even though who don’t decide to study healthcare, anyone will benefit from learning the proper CPR procedure and how to perform the Heimlich properly.

Learning CPR is a valuable life skill that will help save lives, whether that is the life of a loved one, a friend or a complete stranger. There are many clinics across Pearl River County that offer CPR classes to individuals who are interested in learning or refreshing their skills on the procedure. Choking is something that can happen to anyone at any given time and knowing how to properly execute the Heimlich maneuver and performing CPR can be a matter of life and death.

To learn more about the Heimlich maneuver and where a person can take classes to learn the process, visit redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr.