Day: December 17, 2016

He’s credited with saving the lives of people who are choking, thanks to the method he popularized in 1974. Now comes word that Dr. Henry Heimlich has died at age 96.

Heimlich died early Saturday at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, according to Bryan Reynolds, spokesman for Episcopal Retirement Services, which operates the retirement home where the physician lived for years.

According to Reynolds, Heimlich was experiencing complications from a massive heart attack he suffered in his home Monday.

The thoracic surgeon used his famous maneuver earlier this year to help a fellow resident at his retirement home — an 87-year-old woman who began choking during dinner.

In a statement, Heimlich’s family said they were saddened by the death of a man who’s seen by a hero by many. And they said the physician’s legacy extends beyond his famous life-saving method:

“As a young surgeon, Dad was the first American to devise and perform a total organ replacement. Later, he came up with a device that saved thousands of soldiers’ lives during the Vietnam War. The Heimlich Chest Drain Valve is still used worldwide for patients undergoing chest surgery.

“Dad was firm in his convictions and passionate for his causes. He didn’t play politics well. Instead, he was single-minded in his quest to find better ways to save lives. Dad dreamed that anything was possible in the field of medicine, even when critics said otherwise.”