{"id":556967460937,"title":"LifeVac Review: Can It Really Save A Life?","created_at":"2022-09-17T23:33:23-04:00","body_html":"\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\/\/ \u003c![CDATA[\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@type\": \"Article\",\n \"headline\": \"LifeVac Review: Can It Really Save A Life?\",\n \"keywords\": \"lifevac, lifevac review, lifevac reviews, lifevac vs dechoker, lifevac device, lifevac amazon, lifevac choking\",\n \"description\": \"Our research team reviews medical studies on the LifeVac to determine if it's safe and effective for choking emergencies. We compare the device to the Dechoker and to the standard Heimlich maneuver.\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/lifevac-review\",\n\"author\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Calloway Cook\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/calloway-cook\",\n \"sameAs\": \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/calloway-cook\/\",\n \"jobTitle\": \"President\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"entrepreneurship, dietary supplements, herbal supplements, eCommerce, medical research\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": \"S.I. 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Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University\"\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"editor\": {\n \"@type\": \"Person\",\n \"name\": \"Taylor Graber\",\n \"honorificSuffix\": \"M.D.\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/taylor-graber\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/taylor-j-graber-md-81351642\/\",\n \"https:\/\/www.asapivs.com\/\"\n ],\n \"jobTitle\": \"Content Partner\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"medicine, health, anesthesiology, iv therapy, science, drugs, pharmaceutical, medical research, scientific research, medical journals, entrepreneurship, healthcare, orthopedic surgery, biomedical engineering\",\n \"alumniOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"EducationalOrganization\",\n \"name\": [\n \"University of California San Diego\",\n \"Arizona University\",\n \"University of Arizona College of Medicine\"\n ]\n },\n \"memberOf\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n }\n},\n\"image\": {\n\"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/LifeVac_Thumbnail.png?v=1663472447\",\n\"width\": \"3203\",\n\"height\": \"3203\"\n},\n\"citation\": [\n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27260557\/\", \n\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/32114068\/\",\n\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/dechoker-review\",\n\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/labs\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8244487\/\",\n\"https:\/\/www.fakespot.com\/product\/lifevac-choking-rescue-device-public-access\"\n],\n\"mentions\": [{\n \"@type\": \"Brand\",\n \"name\": \"Heimlich maneuver\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"manikins\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"FakeSpot\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n \"name\": \"Amazon\"\n }\n],\n\"datePublished\": \"2022-09-17\",\n\"copyrightHolder\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\"\n},\n\"publisher\": {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Illuminate Labs\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/\",\n \"description\": \"Illuminate Labs is the most transparent supplement company in the U.S., and is a leading publisher of research-based health information.\",\n \"knowsAbout\": \"supplements, science, nutrition, exercise, health, medication, pharmaceutical, wellness, diet, weight loss, medical research\",\n \"publishingPrinciples\": \"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/pages\/editorial-guidelines\",\n \"memberOf\": [\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"U.S. Chamber of Commerce\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.uschamber.com\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Certified B Corp\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.bcorporation.net\/en-us\/\"\n },\n {\n \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n \"name\": \"Natural Products Association\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.npanational.org\/\"\n }\n ], \n \"logo\": {\n \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n \"url\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/Illuminate_Labs_Favicon_48x48_7595c3cc-e27b-47b8-a4fe-edcc7ed9b29a.png?v=1666502785\", \n \"width\": 48,\n \"height\": 48\n},\n \"foundingDate\": \"2019-01-30\",\n \"sameAs\": [\n \"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/twitter.com\/illuminatelabs\",\n \"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/illuminate-labs-supplements\",\n \"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCpgSJAsIPb-fZ25djtTxBEA\"\n ]\n }\n}\n\/\/ ]]\u003e\u003c\/script\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0047\/1524\/9737\/files\/LifeVac_Review_Article_Header_Image_Optimized.png?v=1663472048\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eDisclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to medical devices.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dc\"\u003eL\u003c\/span\u003eifeVac is an anti-choking device that claims to have saved 481 lives at the time of writing this article. The device is applied to the mouth and a suction force dislodges whatever is stuck in the throat. It can be used on one’s self or applied to someone else.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn this article we’ll review medical research on LifeVac to give our take on whether it’s really more effective than the standard Heimlich maneuver. We’ll compare the device to another popular anti-choking product called the Dechoker, and share real user reviews of the LifeVac.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDoes LifeVac Work?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eLifeVac has been studied in several legitimate scientific journals.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/27260557\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003ereview\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e published in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAmerican Journal of Emergency Medicine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e found that LifeVac was well-constructed and likely to be effective because the suction force it creates is greater than choke pressure:\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e“The negative pressure generated by the force of the suction is 3 times greater than the highest recorded choke pressure.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis means that theoretically the LifeVac should be effective for choking victims no matter the size or dimensions of the object they’re choking on.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/32114068\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003emedical review\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e published in 2020 examined data from five individual clinical trials on choking, and the researchers found that the LifeVac was the most well-studied and most effective device. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eOn its first use, LifeVac successfully dislodges the item being choked on 94.3% of the time\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, according to the review.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn all three trials on the LifeVac cited in the above-linked review, the device successfully resolved choking within three uses 100% of the time. The vast majority of the time, choking was resolved on the first attempt with the LifeVac.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe will conclude from the available research that LifeVac is likely to be effective for treating choking emergencies. We cannot say it’s conclusively effective until we see research on human subjects rather than manikins (though this is unlikely because it would be impossible to sanction a study that puts a real human life at risk of choking to death).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIt seems as though this device may be especially useful given that the majority of Americans aren’t trained on properly administering Heimlich maneuvers, which is the abdominal thrust motion recommended to assist choking victims. The LifeVac therefore may remove some of the human error and potentially improve choking outcomes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLifeVac Vs. Dechoker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eAs we detailed in our review of the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/illuminatelabs.org\/blogs\/health\/dechoker-review\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eDechoker\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, there is a medical trial that directly compares the effectiveness of the two devices.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThat \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/labs\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8244487\/\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003etrial\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e was published in the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eResuscitation Plus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e journal and tested the effectiveness of both devices on a manikin with food lodged in the throat. The LifeVac was found to be more effective than the Dechoker. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eLifeVac removed the foreign object within 59 seconds 82.2% of the time, while the Dechoker only removed the foreign object within 59 seconds 44.4% of the time.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eLifeVac was also proven in this trial to be more effective than abdominal thrusts, which suggests that it may be the only medical device on the market proven more effective than the standard Heimlich for choking victims.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOverall we would recommend the LifeVac over the Dechoker in light of this data.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow to Use the LifeVac\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eLifeVac has a useful video on their YouTube page detailing how to use the device. This may be useful to anyone, even those not considering purchasing the device, given that the LifeVac is often used in emergency settings:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aqizWSL2ndA\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLifeVac Real User Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eLifeVac has been reviewed over 8,000 times on Amazon and has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars, which is one of the highest average ratings we’ve ever noted on Illuminate Health.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “SebrinaL” who claims the LifeVac saved their daughter’s life:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“My daughter is cognitively and physically disabled. Today, my other daughter left her hot dog out and my disabled daughter must have gotten into it, we didn’t see it happen, we only saw her choking. We were able to get the hot dog out within seconds. This device saved my daughter today.”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Morpheus1041” who claims the device is unlikely to be effective:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“I'm an anesthesiologist, so I know how to manage airways. This device comes with two adult masks (why?) and one pediatric mask that would fit a very small child. Neither mask would fit an older child, and since fit and suction are key to the device working, I doubt very much it would be effective for that population. In addition, the plastic in the suction portion of the device is very stiff, requiring a lot of downward force to prime it. I would be very concerned about facial or skull trauma as the device is activated.”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eConclusion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eLifeVac appears to be effective based on medical research. While it’s impossible to compare the efficacy of the device to the Heimlich maneuver in a human trial, because it would be impossible to sanction a human trial with real choking victims, the manikin data on the LifeVac is impressive.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIt certainly can’t hurt to have the device on hand incase of a choking emergency that standard practices don’t solve. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWe consider the LifeVac to be a superior option to the Dechoker, because it was proven so in a manikin trial. We consider it to be better-constructed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe LifeVac is an impressive invention and we don’t doubt that it has saved the lives it claims to have saved.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","blog_id":49281925193,"author":"Calloway Cook","user_id":26601750601,"published_at":"2022-09-17T23:43:42-04:00","updated_at":"2023-06-04T19:36:49-04:00","summary_html":"We review medical studies on the LifeVac to determine if it's safe and effective for choking emergencies. We compare the device to the Dechoker and to the standard Heimlich maneuver.","template_suffix":"","handle":"lifevac-review","tags":"_related:health-device"}

LifeVac Review: Can It Really Save A Life?

LifeVac Review: Can It Really Save A Life?


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Read our Editorial Guidelines to learn more about what makes our site the premier resource for online health information.

Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to medical devices.

LifeVac is an anti-choking device that claims to have saved 481 lives at the time of writing this article. The device is applied to the mouth and a suction force dislodges whatever is stuck in the throat. It can be used on one’s self or applied to someone else.

In this article we’ll review medical research on LifeVac to give our take on whether it’s really more effective than the standard Heimlich maneuver. We’ll compare the device to another popular anti-choking product called the Dechoker, and share real user reviews of the LifeVac.

Does LifeVac Work?

LifeVac has been studied in several legitimate scientific journals.

A review published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine found that LifeVac was well-constructed and likely to be effective because the suction force it creates is greater than choke pressure: “The negative pressure generated by the force of the suction is 3 times greater than the highest recorded choke pressure.”

This means that theoretically the LifeVac should be effective for choking victims no matter the size or dimensions of the object they’re choking on.

A medical review published in 2020 examined data from five individual clinical trials on choking, and the researchers found that the LifeVac was the most well-studied and most effective device. On its first use, LifeVac successfully dislodges the item being choked on 94.3% of the time, according to the review.

In all three trials on the LifeVac cited in the above-linked review, the device successfully resolved choking within three uses 100% of the time. The vast majority of the time, choking was resolved on the first attempt with the LifeVac.

We will conclude from the available research that LifeVac is likely to be effective for treating choking emergencies. We cannot say it’s conclusively effective until we see research on human subjects rather than manikins (though this is unlikely because it would be impossible to sanction a study that puts a real human life at risk of choking to death).

It seems as though this device may be especially useful given that the majority of Americans aren’t trained on properly administering Heimlich maneuvers, which is the abdominal thrust motion recommended to assist choking victims. The LifeVac therefore may remove some of the human error and potentially improve choking outcomes.

LifeVac Vs. Dechoker

As we detailed in our review of the Dechoker, there is a medical trial that directly compares the effectiveness of the two devices.

That trial was published in the Resuscitation Plus journal and tested the effectiveness of both devices on a manikin with food lodged in the throat. The LifeVac was found to be more effective than the Dechoker. LifeVac removed the foreign object within 59 seconds 82.2% of the time, while the Dechoker only removed the foreign object within 59 seconds 44.4% of the time.

LifeVac was also proven in this trial to be more effective than abdominal thrusts, which suggests that it may be the only medical device on the market proven more effective than the standard Heimlich for choking victims.

Overall we would recommend the LifeVac over the Dechoker in light of this data.

How to Use the LifeVac

LifeVac has a useful video on their YouTube page detailing how to use the device. This may be useful to anyone, even those not considering purchasing the device, given that the LifeVac is often used in emergency settings:

LifeVac Real User Reviews

LifeVac has been reviewed over 8,000 times on Amazon and has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars, which is one of the highest average ratings we’ve ever noted on Illuminate Health.

The top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “SebrinaL” who claims the LifeVac saved their daughter’s life:

“My daughter is cognitively and physically disabled. Today, my other daughter left her hot dog out and my disabled daughter must have gotten into it, we didn’t see it happen, we only saw her choking. We were able to get the hot dog out within seconds. This device saved my daughter today.”

The top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Morpheus1041” who claims the device is unlikely to be effective:

“I'm an anesthesiologist, so I know how to manage airways. This device comes with two adult masks (why?) and one pediatric mask that would fit a very small child. Neither mask would fit an older child, and since fit and suction are key to the device working, I doubt very much it would be effective for that population. In addition, the plastic in the suction portion of the device is very stiff, requiring a lot of downward force to prime it. I would be very concerned about facial or skull trauma as the device is activated.”

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Conclusion

LifeVac appears to be effective based on medical research. While it’s impossible to compare the efficacy of the device to the Heimlich maneuver in a human trial, because it would be impossible to sanction a human trial with real choking victims, the manikin data on the LifeVac is impressive.

It certainly can’t hurt to have the device on hand incase of a choking emergency that standard practices don’t solve. 

We consider the LifeVac to be a superior option to the Dechoker, because it was proven so in a manikin trial. We consider it to be better-constructed.

The LifeVac is an impressive invention and we don’t doubt that it has saved the lives it claims to have saved.




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