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Everything we know about the Exhaly Manual: how it works, who it's for, what it can't do, and what happens if something isn't right.
Exhaly is a compact, hand-operated choking rescue device for the home. It uses suction to pull an object out of a blocked airway when standard choking first aid (back blows and abdominal thrusts) has not worked or cannot be performed.
The Exhaly Manual (model R17) sold here is a UKCA-marked Class I medical device from a UK-registered manufacturer. There are no batteries and nothing to charge. It comes with two soft, air-cushioned masks, adult and child, and a zip travel bag.
Three steps. Place the mask over the person's nose and mouth. Press and hold the red collar so the mask seals all the way round. Pull the handle back to create suction.
If the object does not come out on the first pull, keep pushing and pulling the handle without lifting the mask. Suction builds with every stroke, so repeat it two or three times or more. Sealing the mask is the one thing you have to get right. No seal, no suction.
Both create one-way suction through a sealed mask. A manual device like the Exhaly Manual makes that suction with your arm: you push the handle down and pull it up, and each stroke adds to the pull. An automatic device stores the energy in a spring and releases it at the press of a button.
The Exhaly Manual is the device we have placed on the UK market as a UKCA-marked Class I medical device. It needs a firm seal and a few decisive strokes, which is why we ask every customer to practise the motion once against their palm when it arrives.
No. The device has two valves. When you push the handle down, the air inside the cylinder leaves through the exhaust valve to the outside, and the one-way valve between the mask and the cylinder stays shut, so nothing is pushed towards the person. When you pull the handle up, the one-way valve opens and the pull is directed out of the airway only.
Made to pull, not push.
No, and we will never say it does. Exhaly is a backup for the minutes before help arrives, when standard choking first aid has been tried without success or cannot be done: on yourself, on someone who has collapsed, on a person who cannot be stood up.
Call 999 or 112 first, or have someone else call while you act. Learn back blows and abdominal thrusts; everyone should. Keep Exhaly for when they aren't enough.
Use it for a complete airway obstruction: the person cannot breathe, cough or speak, and standard choking first aid has not cleared it.
Do not use it on someone who is still coughing, talking or breathing. A strong cough is the most effective way to clear a partial blockage, so encourage it and stay close. If the cough weakens or stops, that is when you act. Do not use it on anyone weighing less than 10 kg (22 lb).
Two soft, air-cushioned masks:
Pick the one that seals around the nose and mouth without gaps. If you are between sizes, the smaller mask that still covers both nose and mouth is the right one, because the seal is what makes the suction work. The device is not for anyone weighing less than 10 kg (22 lb).
The Exhaly Manual is not for anyone weighing less than 10 kg (22 lb), which rules out most babies under about a year old. For a baby, infant choking first aid (back blows and chest thrusts) is the first step, and 999 is always the first call.
For toddlers and children over 10 kg, use the child mask, keep each suction to three seconds or less, and have the child examined by a doctor afterwards even if the object came out.
Yes. This is one of the main reasons the device exists, because you cannot perform abdominal thrusts on yourself with any reliability. Hold the device in both hands, seal the mask over your own nose and mouth, press the collar to hold the seal and pull the handle. Repeat the push-pull stroke until the object comes out.
Practise once with the mask against your palm so your hands already know the motion. In the moment, you won't have time to read anything.
Yes. Abdominal thrusts need the person upright; Exhaly does not. Lay the person on their back, tilt the head back slightly and lift the chin, seal the mask and work the handle. Once the object is out, turn them onto their side so anything in the mouth can drain, and follow the 999 call handler's instructions. If they are not breathing, begin CPR.
Choking risk rises with age, dentures, dry mouth and swallowing problems, and abdominal thrusts can be hard to perform on a frail person. Exhaly does not depend on the person being able to stand, which is why so many of our customers buy it for a parent or grandparent.
If the person wears dentures, remove them if they are loose before placing the mask so the seal is clean.
No. Exhaly is designed and tested for people. The masks are shaped for a human face, so you would not get a seal on an animal, and we are not going to claim it does something we haven't tested. For a choking pet, call your vet or an emergency animal hospital.
Each suction should last no more than three seconds. Suction builds with each stroke, so two or three push-pull strokes without lifting the mask are normal. If the object has not come out after three attempts, seek medical help immediately and keep following the 999 call handler's instructions, including CPR if the person stops responding. Chest compressions can also help dislodge an object.
Turn the person onto their side so anything left in the mouth can drain, keep them calm and keep 999 on the line. Then get them checked by a doctor, even if they seem fine. Small fragments can remain, and suction on the airway should always be followed by a proper examination.
The mask that was used is a personal-use item: wash it, and do not use it on someone else. Tell us about the incident through the Report a Saved Life page.
That is the seal cover. Tightening it keeps the plunger sealed so the cylinder can hold negative pressure when you pull. Check it is snug when the device arrives and before you store it. There is no safety ring or lock on the Exhaly Manual: it is ready as soon as the mask is fitted.
Over both nose and mouth, always. The suction works by creating negative pressure in a sealed space; if the nose is outside the mask, air simply flows in through the nose and there is no pull on the airway. Press the collar until the mask seals all the way round, then pull the handle.
The masks are soft and air-cushioned so they do not press hard edges into the face, and the one-way valve means nothing is pushed into the airway. The rules that keep it safe are simple: use the right mask size, make full contact with the face, keep each suction to three seconds or less, and do not use it on anyone under 10 kg. Afterwards, a medical check is always part of the process.
The Exhaly Manual is a UKCA-marked Class I medical device. Its manufacturer, Rivona Corp Ltd, is a UK company registered with the MHRA (registration number 0000038189), and the device is listed on the MHRA's public register of medical devices.
We are careful with the wording. Registration is not approval, certification or endorsement by the MHRA, and you will not see us claim otherwise. If anyone selling a choking device tells you theirs is "MHRA approved", ask them to show you the paperwork.
No formal training. The process is place, press, pull, and the box and the leaflet show it in pictures. What we do ask is that you practise once when it arrives: fit a mask, press it against your palm, press the collar and pull the handle so you feel the suction build over two or three strokes.
Show the people who might need to use it: a partner, a babysitter, the grandparents. Thirty seconds of showing beats a page of instructions.
No. Never use the device on anyone who is not choking, including yourself, and never let children play with it. Practise against your palm or a flat surface. The suction demo you may have seen in our videos, where the device lifts a box, is exactly that: a demo on a box.
The device has a three-year shelf life from the date of manufacture. The expiry date (EXP) is printed on the box next to the batch number. Stored dry, assembled and unused, it stays ready until then.
Every few months, check the mask and body for cracks or leaks, make sure the seal cover is tight, and run the push-pull motion once against your palm.
The device is reusable after practice and testing. The masks wash with warm soapy water and air-dry.
Masks are personal-use items: once a mask has been used on a person in an emergency, do not use it on someone else. After use in a real choking emergency, inspect the device carefully, replace the mask that was used, and tell us what happened through the Report a Saved Life page so we can help you get a replacement ready.
Somewhere everyone in the household knows and can reach in seconds: the kitchen drawer, the dining room, the car glovebox, the changing bag. Keep it in its travel bag, assembled, and out of reach of children, because the plunger is spring-assisted. If you own more than one, spread them where meals happen.
Put a reminder in your phone. The whole thing takes a minute.
Almost always the seal, or too few strokes. Make sure the mask covers both nose and mouth with no gaps, press the collar firmly, and keep pushing and pulling without lifting the mask: one pull on its own is often not enough. Check the seal cover on top is tight and that the mask is pushed fully onto the device.
If the pull still feels weak against your palm after that, stop there and email support@exhaly.net with your order number. We will replace it. You should never have to wonder whether your device will work.
There is no reset step. Pushing the handle back down vents the air out through the exhaust valve and the device is ready for the next pull straight away. That is what lets you repeat the stroke without lifting the mask.
Masks: wash in warm, soapy water, rinse and air-dry before putting them back in the bag. Do not boil them or put them in a dishwasher; the air cushion can deform. Device: wipe the body with a damp cloth. Do not submerge it, and keep liquids away from the valves.
Do not rely on it. A mask with a flat or split air cushion will not seal, and without a seal there is no suction. Email support@exhaly.net with your order number and a short description, and we will send a replacement. If you can attach a photo, great; if not, describe it and we will take it from there.
Yes. Test every unit when the parcel arrives, not just one: fit a mask, press it against your palm and pull. If a unit does not build suction after the checks above, email us with your order number and which unit is affected, and we will replace that unit.
First: we are glad it was there. Get the person medically checked. Then inspect the device, wash or replace the mask that was used, and tell us what happened through the Report a Saved Life page or by email. We will help you get a replacement ready in your drawer.
One Exhaly Manual device, two air-cushioned masks (adult and child), a zip travel bag, the instructions for use, a card with a QR code to a short training video, and the Certificate of Conformity, in the red Exhaly United Kingdom box with the UKCA mark. Multi-unit orders contain one full kit per device.
Orders are processed and dispatched within 1 to 2 working days. Most UK orders arrive within 7 to 15 working days of dispatch, depending on the delivery option you choose at checkout. The Highlands, islands and Northern Ireland can take a few days longer.
Delivery options and costs are shown at checkout before you pay.
As soon as your order is dispatched you receive a confirmation email with a tracking link. Tracking sometimes shows "label created" for a day or two before the first scan; that is normal. If your parcel has not arrived within 7 days of the end of the estimated delivery window, email support@exhaly.net with your order number and we will chase it with the carrier.
If it has not been dispatched yet, usually. Email us straight away with your order number and what you need changed.
Once an order has been dispatched we cannot alter it, but you still have the right to cancel for any reason within 14 days of receiving it under the Consumer Contracts Regulations. Tell us in writing within those 14 days and return the item to us; see the returns question below for how.
You have 180 days from delivery to return an unused device. This sits on top of your 14-day right to cancel under UK consumer law. Because the masks are sealed for hygiene and end up over someone's face, returns need to be unused with the mask seals intact. Email support@exhaly.net with your order number and we will send you return instructions. Return postage is paid by the customer unless the item is faulty, and refunds go back to the original payment method within 14 days of us receiving the return.
A faulty or damaged device is a different matter: that is a replacement or a full refund, including postage, under the Consumer Rights Act. Just tell us. Your statutory rights are not affected.
Email support@exhaly.net as soon as it arrives, with your order number and a description of the damage; a photo helps but is not required. If the box is crushed, a seal is broken or a mask is damaged, do not use the device. We will send a replacement at no cost to you.
Yes. Schools, nurseries, care homes, restaurants and first responders can email us with how many units they need and we will come back with a quote. Families who want one device per room or per car can order more than one unit on the product page.
Exhaly is a brand of Rivona Corp Ltd, a UK company founded by a former paramedic who had seen too many choking emergencies where the people in the room could not help. Rivona Corp Ltd is the legal manufacturer of the Exhaly Manual and is registered with the MHRA. Our mission line is on every box: access to life must be accessible.
Email support@exhaly.net and a person will reply, usually within one working day. You can also call +1 (423) 487-1972 (an international number; standard call charges apply). Include your order number if your question is about an order; it saves a round trip. If something is wrong with your device, whether it is weak suction, a damaged mask or a box that arrived crushed, tell us and we will make it right.
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Exhaly is an airway clearance device intended for use when standard choking first aid (back blows and abdominal thrusts) has been tried without success. Always call 999 or 112 first. Exhaly is not a replacement for medical care. Speak to your GP for medical advice.
