United States Lifesaving Association PO Bo x 3 66 ♦ Huntington Beach, Califo rnia 92648 ♦ Tel: 866-FOR-USLA www.usla.org B. Chris Brewster President March 3 1 , 2004 Jerry Gavin Vice-President David Shotwell Secretary Greg Farry Treasurer Duke Brown Recurrent Representative Eric Bauer Liaison Officer Tim Gallagher Advisor Dr. Peter Wernicki Medical Advisor John “Chip” More Legal Advisor Henry J . Heimlich, MD, ScD, President The Heimlich Institute 31 1 Straigh t St . Cincinnati, OH 45219-9957 Dear Dr. Heimlich, In 1995, American Lifeguard Magazine, which is published by the United States Lifesaving Association, carried an article which you authored, “The Heimlich Maneuver – First Step for Resuscitating a Drowning Victim.” In the article, you recommended to our reader s, who are professional lifeguards, “For unconscious, nonbreathing drowning victims, perform up to five Heimlich Maneuver s, stopping when wat er no longer flows from the mou th. Almost all victims recover immediately, unless submersion was prolonged . Follow with CPR when necessary.” It was thus your recommendation that lifeguards perform the Heimlich maneuver o n drowning victims prior to initiating CPR and your assertion that almost al l drowning victims will recove r immediately, except in cases of prolonged submersion. Your article went on to state, “Some lifeguards may be concerned as to whether they are obligated to follow American Red Cross recommendations … Based on the evidence in this paper, I stand ready to testify that if a drowning victim dies and the Heimlich Maneuver was not the first treatment, that the treatment was inadequate.” You thus encouraged lifeguards trained under CPR protocols maintained by the American Red Cross to ignore those protocols in favor of the protocols you advocated. You further stated that, “Finally, all first aid, rescue and lifeguard training organizations agree that the Heimlich Maneuv er should be used to save drowning victims.” Your article credited discovery of the usefulness of the Heimlich maneuve r in treating drowning victims to Victor Esch, MD, of Potoma c, Maryland. You stated, “In 1974 he watched as a lifeguard pulled a man from the water at Rehobot h Be ach, Delaware, and declar ed the victim d ead. Dr. Esch stepped forward and performed the Heimlich Maneuver on the ma n. Water gushed fr om the victim’s lungs and he immediate ly recovered.” According to an August 2 8, 1974 article in the Washington Star-News, this rescue purportedly took place on August 14 , 1974. The victim, Donald Urquhart