LifeVac CEO Arthur Lih invents device to stop choking: ‘I had to do something’

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Father invents device to stop people from choking

LifeVac CEO Arthur Lih discusses his invention on ‘Fox & Friends.’

A father’s invention that stops people from choking is credited with saving nearly 100 lives.

"[Death from choking is] not a freak accident," LifeVac inventor and CEO Arthur Lih told Brian Kilmeade Wednesday on "Fox & Friends." "One child every five days. Leading cause of death under four. And I decided I had to do something."

Lih, who has a 7-year-old daughter, said he was inspired to invent the product after hearing from a friend in the hospital about a 7-year-old child who had died from choking.

"He said, last time he was there, there was a 7-year-old on that gurney [who] choked to death on a grape," Lih said. "All that pain, and the thought of the parents losing their child? I said, ‘I can’t let that happen to my little girl.’"

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LifeVac is used by putting it up to the person’s face and pushing and pulling until the object causing the choking is removed, Lih said. The product has saved 95 lives as of this writing, according to the company’s official website. At least 38 of those saved have been children, Kilmeade said.

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Lih said acting quickly is crucial, noting that it only takes about "four to eight minutes" before a person could die from choking.

"That’s the tragedy of it, that it’s instantaneous," Lih said. "You can’t wait for help. That object has to come out, or it’s over. And we have a chance to stop that."

Lih, who came out of retirement to develop LifeVac, recognizes the importance of his product. He shared the story of a father who gave the device to his daughter.

"She wound up saving her little 2-year-old son," Lih said. "That father gave the gift of life to that little boy. And I held him, and I could see the difference."

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"If that child’s in the ground, they’re all devastated. Their lives are over," he said. "Instead, we’re all looking at that little baby."

"To persevere and pursue something of such importance, that’s the gift I get," Lih added.

For more information about LifeVac, visit LifeVac.net.