Most modern protocols, including those of the American Heart Association, American Red Cross and the European Resuscitation Council,[5] recommend several stages, designed to apply increasingly more pressure. Most protocols recommend first encouraging the victim to cough, and allowing them an opportunity to spontaneously clear the foreign body if they are coughing forcefully. If the person's airway continues to be blocked, more forceful maneuvers such as hard back slaps and abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) can be performed.