Henry Heimlich, the doctor whose choking response technique has saved the lives of an estimated 50,000 people, died Saturday after suffering a massive heart attack earlier in the week. He was 96 years old.
The Heimlich maneuver came to worldwide attention in the 1970s, and Heimlich himself used it to save an elderly woman from choking as recently as this year. "There's been a lot of attention paid to the Heimlich maneuver because it's so effective, but what I think makes it truly innovative is the fact that it's accessible to everyone," he said of his invention. "Anyone can save the life of a choking person — even a child can perform the Heimlich maneuver."
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