The "Heimlich maneuver for asthma" study conducted in Barbados

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Updated August 13, 2013

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The Heimlich maneuver for asthma study conducted on children in Barbados

Documents, correspondence, news reports, and blog items compiled by Peter M. Heimlich

SUMMARY: Since at least 1986, my father -- who has no background in pulmonary medicine -- has promoted the use of the Heimlich maneuver (abdominal thrusts) as a treatment for asthma. In response, asthma experts have stated that the treatment has no merit and may, in fact, be harmful -- even lethal.

In September 2012, the University of Cincinnati (UC) made public the Henry J. Heimlich Archival Collection, consisting of thousands of pages of documents from my father's files which were donated to the school's medical library by my father and Patrick Ward of Deaconess Associations, a Cincinnati health services corporation which since 1998 has owned and operated the nonprofit Heimlich Institute.

The archives contain correspondence and other documents pertaining to an unpublished research study in which the use of the Heimlich maneuver to treat asthma was tested on dozens of children in Barbados, West Indies. An abstract of the study -- co-authored by three medical professionals at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados -- was published in the 2005 West Indian Medical Journal.

Click here to download a 156-page pdf of the documents from the Heimlich Archives which include the protocol and financial records showing that, after being rejected by Cincinnati's Deaconess Hospital, the Barbados study was funded by the Rotary Foundation of Cincinnati and the Heimlich Institute, an organization with a long history of conducting unethical offshore medical research. For example, via a 2003 Cincinnati Enquirer article (published at the time the Barbados asthma experiment was being arranged):

(Dr. Heimlich's "malariotherapy") experiments - which seek to destroy HIV, the AIDS-causing virus, by inducing high malarial fevers- have been criticized by the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration and condemned by other health professionals and human rights advocates as a medical "atrocity.''
According to this May 11, 2004 letter sent to my father by Dr. Anne St. John of Queen Elizabeth Hospital (lead investigator of the Barbados study), "Charles Pierce has played a significant role and influenced myself and co-researcher Dr. Stephen Feanny (Paediatric Allergist) in doing the study."

According to his CV, Dr. Pierce has been an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UC's College of Medicine since August 2000 and was Associate Director of the Clinical Trials Office at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) from February 2001 - July 2003.

In late 2012, I decided to report about the study on my blog, The Sidebar, and, per a November 19, 2012 article published by University of Cincinnati News Record, I sent media inquiries to UC, Rotary International, CCHMC, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and Barbados Minister of Health, Donville Inniss.

On December 6, 2012, I posted my first item on my blog, The Sidebar.

On December 16, 2012, the story was reported by the Sunday Sun, a leading newspaper in Barbados. From the article:

In an email to this newspaper, (Dr. St. John) stated...that the Ministry of Health was carrying out an investigation into the matter, given Heimlich’s queries.

The Sun quoted Dr. St. John claiming that the study received approval from a local Institutional Review Board (IRB) and that the Ministry of Health (MOH) was carrying out an investigation into the matter based on my queries.

But the article did not include the name of the IRB and via the UC News Record, "(Dr.) Pierce said he could not recall the name of the specific IRB that approved the study."

Therefore, after receiving an e-mail from Barbados Minister of Health Donville Inniss suggesting I submit a formal inquiry to his office, on February 12, 2013, I did so. In my my letter, I asked Mr. Inniss to provide me with the name of the IRB and the name of the individual who headed it.

Also, another e-mail in the Heimlich Archives stated that the asthma study needed to obtain approval from the Ministry of Health's ethics review committee, so I asked Mr. Inniss to provide me with those details and guidelines governing human subjects research in Barbados.

Click here to read my letter to letter to Mr. Inniss and to access the documents about the Barbados study obtained from the Heimlich Archives, including the protocols, funding, and correspondence.

On August 5, 2013, I received a letter from the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Tennyson Springer that included:

(I) wish to acknowledge receipt of your correspondence and inform you that the matter is being investigated. So far, there has been no institutional memory or documentation of this research. However, the Ministry of Health will continue the probe into this alleged project.
Click here for a copy of the complete letter.

Via Mystery Study, an August 7, 2013 article published by the newspaper Barbados Today:

The Ministry of Health is officially probing the existence of a controversial asthma study purportedly done in Barbados and involving a famous American physician.

But amid continued external queries about whether the research “followed legal and ethical guidelines”, Acting Permanent Secretary Tennyson Springer said initial investigations had found no evidence of its existence.
...Last month Springer responded on the Ministry of Health’s behalf and told (Peter) Heimlich that there was no knowledge of the study which was said to have involved 67 minors.
...“(I) wish to acknowledged receipt of your correspondence and inform you that the matter is being investigated,” Springer said in his July 10 letter.

“So far, there has been no institutional memory or documentation of this research. However, the Ministry of Health will continue to probe into this alleged project."

I'd welcome hearing from anyone with more information, including anyone who participated or knows someone who participated in the study. Click here for my contact information -- PMH

I. Background: my father's promotion of the Heimlich maneuver to treat asthma -- and some second opinions.

Heimlich Maneuver Stops Asthma Attacks (press release), The Heimlich Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 7, 1996

The Heimlich Maneuver has been found to be life saving in asthma attacks, and may prevent them. The discovery was made by numerous asthma patients and their families, who reported its effectiveness to the Heimlich Institute in Cincinnati, headed by Dr. Henry Heimlich, after whom the maneuver was named.

...Pushing up on the diaphragm with the Heimlich Maneuver compresses the lungs, expelling trapped air and mucous plugs, thus clearing the airway and ending the asthma attack.

Just as choking victims can perform the Heimlich Maneuver on themselves, asthma patients can treat their own attacks or have someone else perform the maneuver on them.

...Currently, the Heimlich Institute is studying asthma patients who are performing the maneuver several times a day on themselves, to keep their lungs clear of mucus, preventing both asthma attacks and wheezing. The treatment has been found to diminish or eliminate the need for asthma medications that can cause side reactions in addition to being very costly.

..."This could be a most important breakthrough in improving the lives of the millions of people throughout the world who suffer from asthma," said Dr. Heimlich.

Some Experts Are Skeptical About Reports That the Heimlich Maneuver Relieves Acute Asthma Attacks by Carolyn Gard, Modern Medicine, February 1997

Researchers at the Heimlich Institute in Cincinnati have begun studying the use of the Heimlich maneuver for both acute and preventive treatment of asthma. Henry Heimlich, MD, originator of the maneuver, told Modern Medicine that researchers at his institution have responded to nearly 100 anecdotal reports* from patients regarding its value in treating acute attacks.

During an acute asthma attack, breathing becomes difficult because the lungs become distended with air. “When this happens, patients can’t even inhale their medication,” says Heimlich. Pushing up on the diaphragm with the Heimlich maneuver compresses the lungs, expels trapped air and mucous plugs, and thus clears the airway and ends the attack.

The researchers are trying to determine whether or not the routine use of the Heimlich maneuver could replace or diminish the need for asthma medications. Patients in the study, which is being carried out by physicians throughout the country, are being instructed to perform the maneuver on themselves - just as choking victims can do, but more gently - several times a day - or at least several times a week - to clear their lungs of mucous plugs. In theory, this should prevent asthma attacks.

...Asthma specialist Homer Boushey, MD, told Modern Medicine he is “very skeptical” that the Heimlich maneuver will do anything for asthma...Referring to the Heimlich Institute’s study, Boushey says that he is also skeptical of studies that have not undergone peer review. Furthermore, he adds, the technique should first be tested on animals rather than humans.

* Author's note: No records of the purported study nor any of the anecdotal reports have been located in UC's Heimlich Archives or anywhere else. In my opinion, my father simply fabricated the claims.

The Trouble With Henry by Shane Johnson, MetroActive (newsweekly), January 5, 2005 (originally published by the Salt Lake City Weekly)

Loren Greenway, administrative director of respiratory and pulmonary medicine for Intermountain Health Care (Salt Lake City), and a nationally certified asthma educator, finds Heimlich's asthma maneuver physiologically unfounded and dangerous.

"Using the Heimlich maneuver in an acute asthmatic condition...could actually kill somebody," said Greenway.

The Maneuver Part II by Chuck Goudie, ABC7 Chicago I-Team, November 17, 2006

The Heimlich maneuver will stop an asthma attack," (says Dr. Henry) Heimlich.

Heimlich also urges the maneuver be used on cystic fibrosis victims, all claims that have stunned the medical community and major medical organizations, which warn that the use of the Heimlich maneuver in those situations could be fatal.

The American Lung Association asked Chicago respiratory expert Dr. John Shannon to speak with us.

"It shouldn't be used at all in asthma or in cystic fibrosis or any other chronic inflamation disorder in the lung passages," said Dr. John Shannon, Stroger Cook County Hospital.

"There is a good possibility of making a person with asthma substantially worse."

II. MEDIA REPORTS ABOUT THE "HEIMLICH MANEUVER FOR ASTHMA EXPERIMENT" USING CHILDREN IN BARBADOS

Utilisation of the Heimlich Manoeuvre as an adjunct in the Management of Asthma in Paediatric Patients: A Prospective Study by Sean Feanny, Margaret Anne St. John, P. Howard, Department of Paediatrics, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Barbados -- click title for copies of pages from 2005 Caribbean Health Research Council conference presentation and publication in the West Indian Medical Journal & the Guyana Health Information Digest.

Questionable Study has UC Ties by Benjamin Goldschmidt, The University of Cincinnati News Record, December 5, 2012

On Nov. 19, the University of Cincinnati received one of five inquiry letters sent to organizations that could be linked to an offshore, potentially controversial experiment.

Peter Heimlich, son of Henry Heimlich - famous for the Heimlich Maneuver choking rescue treatment - sent the inquiry letters in hopes of obtaining more information on the experiment, which was performed on children in Barbados, according to a study published in the West Indian Medical Journal in 2005.

...The study tested whether or not a modified version of the Heimlich Maneuver could stop an acute asthma attack or treat asthma symptoms without contemporary treatment...The 67 children who participated were between the ages of six and 16.

...Other organizations and individuals also received the letters, including Rotary International, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Donville Inniss, the minister of health in Barbados.
University of Cincinnati newspaper reports "Heimlich maneuver for asthma" study conducted on children in Barbados -- and my unanswered questions by Peter M. Heimlich, The Sidebar, December 6, 2012

Records show that the study was funded by the Rotary Club of Cincinnati and the Heimlich Institute. (More about that in a future item.)

Asthma Study Conducted at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Questioned by David King, Barbados Underground (blog), December 7, 2012

(Peter Heimlich) has not uncovered any evidence of wrongdoing but he wants “to find out if the researchers and funders followed legal and ethical guidelines.” He is concerned that although Dr. Anne St. John confirmed that IRB approval was received, the name of the IRB which provided the approval remains a mystery. Peter Heimlich is reported to have sent a communication to Minister (of Health) Donville Inniss asking for the name of the IRB and when the (Ethics) Committee approved the study.

Media musings from Cincinnati and beyond by Ben Kaufman, Cincinnati CityBeat (newsweekly), December 12, 2012:

Questions are being raised about foreign research involving UC and Henry Heimlich. UC News Record reporter Benjamin Goldschmidt said, “The study tested whether or not a modified version of the Heimlich Maneuver could stop an acute asthma attack or treat asthma symptoms without contemporary treatment...The 67 children who participated were between the ages of six and 16.”

Goldschmidt said Heimlich’s son, Peter, is pressing the inquiry at UC and elsewhere...Peter Heimlich said he targeted UC because Charles Pierce, adjunct professor of psychiatry at UC, was involved with applying for loans for the study in Barbados, an Atlantic nation between Haiti and Venezuela. He cited email correspondence in the Winkler Center’s Heimlich Archives at UC.

Asthma Probe by Maria Bradshaw, the Barbados Sunday Sun, December 16, 2012

Questions are being raised about an asthma study in Barbados in 2002, involving children and using a modified version of the Heimlich manoeuvre.

Peter Heimlich, son of Dr. Henry Heimlich, who made famous the life-saving technique used on choking victims, has been investigating the Barbados study with a view to finding out if legal and ethical guidelines were followed.

...The Barbados study was conducted by a team of researchers led by respected paediatrician, Professor Anne St. John.

In an email to this newspaper, (Dr. St. John) stated...that the Ministry of Health was carrying out an investigation into the matter, given Heimlich’s queries.

...(Peter Heimlich) has written to Minister of Health Donville Inniss and officials at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, enquiring about the study. He charged that he had evidence that his father, whose work has been discredited, contributed US$1000 to the Barbados study.

Of the Barbados study, he asked: “Why did the researchers think this was a good idea? And who arranged, funded and conducted the study?”

He said he had evidence that in 1999 his father attempted to conduct a similar asthma study at Cincinnati’s Deaconess Hospital, but had been turned down by the hospital’s Institutional Review Board (IRB).

...(Dr. St. John) said that “not one of the subjects in the study suffered any fatality”.

Barbados newspaper: my inquiry triggers Ministry of Health investigation of "Heimlich for asthma" study funded by Heimlich Institute and Rotary by Peter M. Heimlich, The Sidebar, December 20, 2012

My inquiry letter today to the Barbados Minister of Health re: the "Heimlich maneuver for asthma" medical study conducted on dozens of children by Peter M. Heimlich, The Sidebar, February 12, 2013

Barbados Ministry of Health confirms ongoing investigation of "Heimlich for asthma" study conducted on dozens of children -- "no institutional memory or documentation" located yet for the "alleged project" by Peter M. Heimlich, The Sidebar, August 5, 2013

Via Mystery Study, an August 7, 2013 article published by the newspaper Barbados Today:

The Ministry of Health is officially probing the existence of a controversial asthma study purportedly done in Barbados and involving a famous American physician.

But amid continued external queries about whether the research “followed legal and ethical guidelines”, Acting Permanent Secretary Tennyson Springer said initial investigations had found no evidence of its existence.
...Last month Springer responded on the Ministry of Health’s behalf and told (Peter) Heimlich that there was no knowledge of the study which was said to have involved 67 minors.
...“(I) wish to acknowledged receipt of your correspondence and inform you that the matter is being investigated,” Springer said in his July 10 letter.

“So far, there has been no institutional memory or documentation of this research. However, the Ministry of Health will continue to probe into this alleged project."

More to come....

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