The Sidebar

6/18/11: From On Second Thought by Ben Kaufman, Cincinnati CityBeat's media critic:

(Anthony M. Bennett, disclosure branch chief of the Department of Homeland Security wrote) to Peter M. Heimlich, who was pursuing the cozy relationship between federal officials and funding of the dubious Save-A-Life Foundation. Because it’s the latest entry in my “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” file, I will quote Bennett’s exercise in critical thinking a couple weeks ago:

"This letter pertains to your (Peter Heimlich’s) Jan. 20, 2010, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency...By a letter dated March 19, 2010, we advised you of the estimated fee of $410.00 for processing your FOIA request. Because the estimated fee exceeded $250.00, we required an advance payment of the estimated fee for us to continue processing your request. We also advised you in that letter that if payment was not received within 14 business days, we would consider your request withdrawn. To date, we have not received your payment. As a result, we are administratively closing this case.

"Additionally, please be advised that because we have not received a payment of $410.00, we will not process any future requests you submit to this office. Moreover, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 5.11(g), we may charge interest on any unpaid bill starting on the 31st day following the date of this letter. Interest charges will be assessed at the rate provided in 31 U.S.C. 3717 and will accrue from the date of the billing, in this case March 19, 2010, until payment is received by FEMA.

"FEMA shall follow the provisions of the Debt Collection Act of1982, as amended, and its administrative procedures, including the use of consumer reporting agencies, collection agencies, and offset. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter, please feel free to contact this office..."

Click here to view a copy of Dr. Bennett's March 31, 2011 letter.

Kaufman's publishing date coincided with the following correspondence:
my 4/18/11 inquiry/response to Dept. of Homeland Security

4/18/11 apology from Homeland Security 

While I'm pleased to get an apology from DHS and to once again be permitted to file FOIA requests with that agency, during the course of this dust-up, I took a closer look at 6 C.F.R. 5.11, cited in Dr. Bennett's letter. That's the section in DHS's FOIA guidelines which governs fees.

This caught my eye (emphasis added): 

(l) Payment of outstanding fees. The Department shall not process a FOIA request from persons with an unpaid fee from any previous FOIA request to any Federal agency until that outstanding fee has been paid in full to the agency.

In other words, if you owe a fee to another federal agency, for example, the Department of the Navy, DHS can refuse to fill your FOIA request.

Some Googling led to an interesting preliminary result. DHS appears to be the only federal agency whose FOIA guidelines include this cross-agency right to deny which in effect allows DHS to play the role of collection agency for any other branch of the government: "Want us to fill your FOIA? Not until you settle your bill with the Department of ____________."

I'm doing some snooping and if anything interesting turns up, I'll post the results.

From Basic first aid may save a life by Bianca Clare, Sunshine Coast Daily (Australia), April 4, 2011:

Darryl Clare is not surprised that a new survey has found one in three people have no idea how to administer first aid. The St John Ambulance first aid training officer says "Dr Google" and Hollywood blockbuster movies are increasingly misleading the public on what to do when things go wrong.

"The most common mistake made is thinking the Heimlich manoeuvre is the best way to treat someone who is choking," he said. " This is incorrect. The correct method is to give the patient five back blows between the shoulder blades.

"The Heimlich manoeuvre has been widely criticised, even by the founder's son.

"It can work it some cases, but it can lead to serious consequences...even death."

The survey revealed 36% of 1134 respondents would immediately think of the Heimlich manoeuvre when someone was choking.

From worksheet for 2010 ILCOR Evidence-Based Review of Science for Emergency Cardiac Care (p.7-8):

Case reports of complications from abdominal thrusts

Agia GA, Hurst DJ. Pneumomediastinum following the Heimlich maneuver. JACEP. 1979;8:473-475.

Ayerdi J, Gupta SK, Sampson LN, Deshmukh N. Acute abdominal aortic thrombosis following the Heimlich maneuver. Cardiovasc Surg. 2002;10:154-156.

Bintz M, Cogbill TH. Gastric rupture after the Heimlich maneuver. J Trauma. 1996;40:159-160.

Chapman JH, Menapace FJ, Howell RR. Ruptured aortic valve cusp: a complication of the Heimlich maneuver. Ann Emerg Med 1983; 12: 446-448.

Cowan M, Bardole J, Dlesk A. Perforated stomach following the Heimlich maneuver. Am J Emerg Med. 1987;5:121-122.

Croom DW. Rupture of stomach after attempted Heimlich maneuver. Jama. 1983;250:2602-2603.

Desai SC, Chute DJ, Desai BC, Koloski ER. Traumatic dissection and rupture of the abdominal aorta as a complication of the Heimlich maneuver. J Vasc Surg 2008; 48: 1325-1327.

Drinka P. TBroken ribs following CPR or the Heimlich maneuver. J Am Med Directors Association 2009;10:283-284.

Dupre MW, Silva E, Brotman S. Traumatic rupture of the stomach secondary to Heimlich maneuver. Am J Emerg Med. 1993;11:611-612.

Feeney SN, Pegoli W, Gesting ML. Pancreatic transection as a complication of the Heimlich maneuver: case report and literature review. J Trauma 2007; 62: 252-254.

Feldman T, Mallon SM, Bolooki H. Fatal acute aortic regurgitation in a person performing the Heimlich maneuver. N Engl J Med; 1986; 315: 1613.

Gallardo A, Rosado R, Ramirez D, Medina P, Mezquita S, Sanchez J. Rupture of the lesser gastric curvature after a Heimlich maneuver. Surg Endosc. 2003;17:1495.

Haynes DE, Haynes BE, Yong YV. Esophageal rupture complicating Heimlich maneuver. Am J Emerg Med 1984; 2: 507-509.

Kirshner RL, Green RM. Acute thrombosis of abdominal aortic aneurysm subsequent to Heimlich maneuver: a case report. J Vasc Surg. 1985;2:594-596.

Lee SL, Kim SS, Shekherdimian S, Ledbetter DJ. Complications as a result of the Heimlich maneuver. J Trauma 2009;66:E34-E35.

Mack L, Forbes TL, Harris KA. Acute aortic thrombosis following incorrect application of the Heimlich maneuver. Ann Vasc Surg. 2002;16:130-133.

Majumdar A, Sedman PC. Gastric rupture secondary to successful Heimlich manoeuvre. Postgrad Med J. 1998;74:609-610.

Martin TJ, Bobba RK, Metzger R, Madalina M, Bollu M, Patel BG, Kazemi MM. Acute abdominal aortic thrombosis as a complication of the Heimlich maneuver. J Am Geriatr Soc 2007; 55: 1146−1147.

Meredith MJ, Liebowitz R. Rupture of the esophagus caused by the Heimlich maneuver. Ann Emerg Med. 1986;15:106-107.

Nowitz A, Lewer BM, Galletly DC. An interesting complication of the Heimlich manoeuvre. Resuscitation 1998;39:129--131.

Olenchock SA, Rowlands DM, Reed JF, Garzia FM, Zasik JM. Dysphagia after Heimlich maneuver. Chest 2004; 125: 302-304.

Orlowski JP. Vomiting as a complication of the Heimlich maneuver. JAMA. 1987;258:512-513.

Palleiro MMO, López CB, Pretel MCF, Fernández JS Hepatic rupture after Heimlich maneuver. Annal Emerg Med 2007; 49: 825-826.

Rakotoharinandrasana H, Petit E, Dumas P, Vandermarcq P, Gil R, Neau JP. [Internal carotid artery dissection after Heimlich maneuver]. Ann Fr Anesth Reanim. 2003;22:43-45.

Rich GH. Pneumomediastinum following the Heimlich maneuver. Ann Emerg Med. 1980;9:279-820.

Roehm EF, Twiest MW, Williams RC. Abdominal aortic thrombosis in association with an attempted Heimlich maneuver. JAMA. 1983;249:1186-1187.

Tung PH, Law S, Chu KM, Law WL, Wong J. Gastric rupture after Heimlich maneuver and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Hepatogastroenterology. 2001;48:109-111.

Ujjin V, Ratanasit S, Nagendran T. Diaphragmatic hernia as a complication of the Heimlich maneuver. Int Surg. 1984;69:175-176.

Valero V. Mesenteric laceration complicating a Heimlich maneuver. Ann Emerg Med. 1986;15:105-106.

van der Ham AC, Lange JF. Traumatic rupture of the stomach after Heimlich maneuver. J Emerg Med. 1990;8:713-715.

Visintine RE, Baick CH. Ruptured stomach after Heimlich maneuver. JAMA. 1975;234:415.

On February 6, 2011, I uploaded a page to my website with a countdown clock asking whether or not any reporters will question Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico about his relationship with the Save-A-Life Foundation (SALF) before Election Day, February 22.

My page was intended as a poke at Chicago news media whose coverage of the fall of SALF - an organization that was once the darling of prominent public officials, but is now the subject of IL state and federal investigations - has been conspicuous by its absence.

While SALF exposes popped up around the country, no Chicago media had reported anything since the Tribune ran staff reporter Lisa Black's deceptive Save-A-Life Foundation in Limbo back in October 2009. (Blogger Chris Johnson tagged Black's hackery in a thorough takedown.)

Gery Chico accepts award from SALF founder/president Carol J. Spizzirri (Click here for more about her)

Windy City power broker Gery Chico and his wife Sunny (who runs an education consulting business) had been named by SALF as members of their corporate board and for years Chico promoted the organization during and after his tenure as president of the Chicago School Board.

More recently, Chico & The Frau have repeatedly ignored softball questions (posed to them by blogger Lee Cary) about their relationships with SALF.

With Chico running for mayor on a clean government platform, some might consider his ties to a tainted nonprofit to be newsworthy.

I'm happy to report that the Huffington Post agreed.

My countdown clock was stopped on February 17 at 06:07 PM EST as the result of staff reporter Will Guzzardi's article, Gery Chico Save A Life Foundation Connection: What Was His Role At Troubled Charity?


So when may readers expect the next report about SALF from Chicago news outlets?

Tick, tick, tick....



 

From Heimlich's Latest Maneuvers by Mary Mihaly, Health Monitor, December 2009/January 2010:

Dr. “Hank” Heimlich may be the most famous doctor in the world, but in this diner, he’s just the tall, lanky fellow who comes in almost every week for eggs and grits...Inevitably, talk turns to his “latest maneuver” - his upcoming autobiography, Heimlich’s Maneuvers, to be published shortly by Bartleby Press.

Among other highlights, the book recounts how, in 1953, Dr. Heimlich launched his career by creating a surgical procedure for replacing the esophagus....

But according to this screen shot taken today at the website of Andrea M. Sattinger, the book's co-author, it appears the book's been re-titled and that the Bartleby Press deal fell down:


Prospective publishers may wish to do some fact checking before going to print. For example....

From Stephen on mission to save lives by Judith Kerr, Bayside Bulletin/Redland Times (Australia), January 27, 2011

Birkdale's Stephen Dean has seen the face of death. As an officer with the Royal Australia Navy, his desperate attempts to resuscitate a man who had had a heart attack ended when the man died in his arms. But ever since that day, the 58-year-old father of two has made it his life's mission to save people.

For his dedication to that mission and his work in the field of resuscitation and first aid training, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on Wednesday. As the assistant CEO of St John Ambulance Australia's Queensland branch, it has been Stephen's job to teach and train people across the resuscitation industry.

..."It is important for people in the business of saving lives to be taught to follow a set of common rules, regulations and procedures to stop confusion."

In the US, they still advocate the Heimlich Manoeuvre for choking but in Australia, we believe the evidence shows it is dangerous and so our guidelines don't promote it," Stephen said.

Click here for source

John J. Pippin MD FACC at 10/10/09 Petland protest (source)

From Heimlich Maneuvered by Paul Teetor, LA Weekly, April 8, 2010: 

In both its mission statement and its IRS filings, the Washington, D.C.-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) says it is "strongly opposed to unethical human research." But the group is throwing a private Hollywood Art of Compassion bash Sunday night to hand out a major award named after Dr. Henry Heimlich, who has been condemned by mainstream medical organizations around the world for his 20-year program of trying to cure cancer and AIDS by injecting people with malaria-infected blood.

...Peter Heimlich says his father's malariotherapy research has been denounced as dangerous and irresponsible by the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. In 2002 the WHO called malariotherapy "an example of clearly unscrupulous and opportune research." Five years later, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, said: "It is scientifically unsound, and I think it would be ethically questionable ... and it does have the fundamental potential of killing you."

From A group of physicians files a federal complaint against UMMC by Julie Straw, WLBT (NBC affiliate) Jackson, MS, January 24, 2011:

First-year medical students at University of Mississippi Medical Center often learn through hands-on lab exercises involving live animals, in most cases pigs. The pigs are euthanized when it is over. At least one group of physicians called it cruel and unnecessary and wants it to stop.

On the web site homepage for Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine or PCRM, there is a piglet and a plea for UMMC to stop pig labs.

"To teach medical students you do not need to kill animals. Virtually nobody is doing it and UMMC is far behind the standard of practice in medical education," said PCRM cardiologist Dr. John Pippin.

...In a new twist, the son of a famous doctor is speaking out against PCRM. Peter Heimlich, son of Dr. Henry Heimlich who created the Heimlich maneuver, claims his father allegedly used people for controversial medical research. Dr. Heimlich serves on the board for PCRM which fights for ethical treatment of animals and humans.

"My concern is the organization seems to put the interest of pigs above human beings who are being subjected to violative medical research," said Peter Heimlich.

PCRM has been criticized by others as being a "PETA front group" and even promotes a vegan diet on their web site.

"I'd say they're fools," said Dr. Pippin.

the Heimlich atrocity experiments: correspondence between PCRM's John J. Pippin MD & Eric Matteson MD, the ...

I just stumbled onto To Heimlich or not to Heimlich - that is the question, a March 2010 article by John W. Reggars. Click the link and go to page 8 for an excellent two-page review of the Heimlich history published in what may seem like an unlikely source - an Australian trade magazine for chiropractors.

One minor fix. I'm slightly misquoted: 

Peter Heimlich has publicly campaigned against his father whom he has described as "history’s greatest medical charlatan and a fraud."

Actually per my website I've called my father one of history's great medical scammers. I'll leave it to historians and others to determine his standing in that illustrious pantheon.

Along those lines, check out Are Henry Heimlich and Edward Patrick Medical Heroes, or Fast Talking Medical Con Men? at ScienceHeroes.com, which includes a poll inviting readers to "Vote if these scientists should be held up as a medical hero, or ignored for their medical infamy?"

Drs. Edward A. Patrick & Henry J. Heimlich (1986)