Dr. Henry Heimlich, inventor of anti-choking maneuver, dies at 96

Dr. Henry Heimlich, who rose to fame after developing the anti-choking technique that saved countless lives, died Saturday at the age of 96.

Heimlich suffered a massive heart attack at his home on Monday, according to WCPO.

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The Ohio doctor became a household name in the 1970s after demonstrating an abdominal-thrusting technique that could clear a choking person's airway.

Heimlich was director of surgery at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati in 1974 when he devised the treatment for choking victims, according to The Associated Press. The procedure involves abruptly squeezing a victim's abdomen, pushing in and above the navel with the fist to create a flow of air from the lungs. That flow of air then can push objects out of the windpipe and prevent suffocation.