This practice vest from ActFast has become a standard in several CPR trainings and is an aid in training measures in case of airway obstruction. With this vest it will be possible to practice two important maneuvers at airway stops: blows between the shoulder blades (backstroke) and the Heimlich maneuver (abdominal pressure).
Blows between the shoulder blades
ActFast airway stop vest is a stable product that protects the person wearing it while creating a realistic training situation. This Swedish model is equipped with a stable back plate that makes it possible to practice blows between the shoulder blades. One participant puts on the vest while the others train on the five strokes. NOTE When training, only light blows should be used to avoid injuries.
The Heimlich maneuver
The Heimlich maneuver is a technique for abdominal pressure that creates an air shock which causes what is stuck in the airways to loosen. Thanks to the vest, it is now possible to practice these scenarios in a realistic way. We use this product ourselves, which provides great learning and a lot of joy during our training. A foam rubber stopper flies out of the vest when you manage to find the right position, just above the navel on the person wearing the vest. You should push both inward and upward, something you will learn after a few tries. The method is named after the developer Henry Heimlich who developed the technology in 1974. You may need to perform several pressures to release the trachea.
Something that is important to keep in mind both during the backbeat and during this maneuver is that you must dare to touch, otherwise what is stuck in the throat can not come up, which can lead to suffocation. But when training with the vest, care must be taken not to injure the person wearing the vest.
Developed by doctors
The practice vest was developed by anesthetists in the USA, but there it has a slightly different appearance. Among other things, it lacks a back plate, which is the European model we market. The European variant thus complies with Europe's directives for correcting airway obstructions. If you want to see what a training session can look like, there is a short video on our website. Observe that the film only shows part of the whole course and cannot be compared to a whole course.
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