Forty two years after the Heimlich maneuver was named after him, 96 year old Ohio surgeon Dr. Henry Heimlich used the technique for the first time in an emergency situation to save the life of a woman who was choking on a hamburger. Noticing 87 year old Patty Ris in distress at the dinner table, he jumped up from his seat, put his arms around her, and pressed on her abdomen to dislodge the food.