The jaw-thrust maneuver is a first aid and medical procedure used to prevent the tongue from obstructing the upper airways. This maneuver and the head-tilt/chin-lift maneuver are two of the main tools of basic airway management, and they are often used in conjunction with other basic airway techniques including bag-valve-mask ventilation. The jaw-thrust maneuver is often used on patients with cervical neck problems or suspected cervical spine injury.[1] The maneuver is used on a supine patient. It is performed by placing the index and middle fingers to physically push the posterior aspects of the lower jaw upwards while their thumbs push down on the chin to open the mouth. When the mandible is displaced forward, it pulls the tongue forward and prevents it from obstructing the entrance to the trachea.[2] Traditionally, the jaw-thrust maneuver has been considered the better alternative (rather than the head-tilt/chin-lift maneuver) when a first aider suspects that the patient may have a spinal injury (especially one to the neck portion of the spine). The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation has reviewed various studies that found no spine-protecting advantage to the jaw-thrust maneuver.[3] Its "Treatment Recommendation" under "Opening the Airway" says, "Rescuers should open the airway using the head tilt–chin lift maneuver."[3] If the patient is in danger of pulmonary aspiration, he or she should be placed in the recovery position, or advanced airway management should be used.[citation needed] See also[edit]
References[edit]Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jaw-thrust maneuver.
What method should be used to open the airway If you suspect a spinal injury?If you think the person may have a spinal injury, place your hands on either side of their head and use your fingertips to gently lift the angle of the jaw forward and upwards, without moving the head, to open the airway. Take care not to move the person's neck.
What are the 2 techniques for stabilizing someone with a spinal injury?If the victim is face-up, approach from the victim's side and use the over-arm head splint technique. If the victim is face-down, approach from the victim's side and use the head splint technique to rotate them to a face-up position.
How you will open a compromised airway of an athlete with suspected spinal cord injury?The jaw thrust technique is the safest approach to opening the airway of an athlete with suspected spinal cord injury. This is performed by placing your fingers behind the angles of the jaw and then pushing the jaw forward or by hooking your fingers under the jaw and pulling forward.
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