Lifevac

So I recently found out about this product:
https://lifevac.net/

A paramedic I know is really excited about it and I'm going to take a look at one when I can meet up with him in June. Anybody here have any experience with it or know anything more about it? From what I can see so far it looks like it may be worthwhile.

An interesting product. I would want to learn a bit more about it before committing to purchase. Question #1: Would this device be more likely to evacuate the obstruction you are going after, or stomach contents? Question #2: How does it perform for partial obstructions, or obstructions where the offending piece of food/whatever is small, and is not creating a seal on its own - the seal is created by the offending piece pinning the epiglottis down over the trachea?

If this device has a good track record in real world saves, and has not been found to delay other possibly better treatments - then what a fantastic idea! It's definitely worth investigating. But I wouldn't jump right in and buy one without first doing that additional investigation. This is an example of a device that I would put much more trust in 3rd party (uninvolved) doctor recommendations that in company advertising department recommendations.

I purchased one of these devices several months ago.

I have a very damaged throat with one paralyzed vocal cord which has an implant to push it to the center so the remaining vocal cord can close off the trachea when needed. So far my wife has had to literally jump on my back to dislodge an obstruction as I was passed out on the floor.

I tried all the usual tricks like falling on a table edge and falling face forward onto the floor. Nothing worked and my vision became black and white, with tunnel vision fading to black. I revived spontaneously when the obstruction was expelled. An unpleasant experience.

I was messing around with it and found the amount of suction to be quit strong. Hope I never have to depend on it.

I believe it has a 3(?) year expiration date.

The alternative is a self tracheotomy which according to the literature has been successful....once.

Never heard of it until a tangential mention on the news. Must have some public reputation as being good.

Probably worthwhile in a special situation like Nomad's. Other wise kind of specialized and expensive. There may be more effective ways to spend the money. how up to date is your FA training, etc?

The Heimlich works well most of the time(if properly done) and needs no special equipment.....