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From letter to the editor published in the July/August issue of Aquatics International:

My greatest concern, however, is that while Hunsucker's article addresses the ineffectiveness of resuscitation, he and his company, National Aquatic Safety Co. (NASCO), continue to advocate use of the Heimlich maneuver for drowning. In this, they appear to stand alone because it has long been rejected by international consensus of the national resuscitation councils of the world. In one article on the matter, while he acknowledged that his Ph.D. is in engineering he medically deconstructed arguments on the maneuver and ultimately endorsed it quipping, "I'm a hugger and don't kiss unless I have to." Hunsucker appropriately worries over the psychological impact on guards who unsuccessfully attempt resuscitation, but what if that failure is the result of following his and his company's improper guidelines?

B. Chris Brewster
Internationa l Life Saving Federation