How do you perform a pediatric jaw-thrust to open the airway?

How do you perform a pediatric jaw-thrust to open the airway?

• A. Stand at the patient’s head, place thumbs on the center of the lower jaw, lift forward to open the airway while keeping the neck neutral
• B. Tilt the head back and lift the chin
• C. Push on the Adam's apple
• D. Use the neck extension alone

Answer: (A)

Opening the airway in a child with a jaw-thrust focuses on moving the mandible forward to push the tongue away from the back of the throat while keeping the neck in a neutral position. Stand at the child’s head, place your thumbs on the center of the lower jaw, and lift the jaw forward and upward. Keeping the neck neutral minimizes cervical spine movement, which is especially important in pediatric trauma where spinal injury is a concern. This forward lift clears the airway by preventing the tongue from occluding the pharynx without tilting the head back. The other approaches don’t fit the situation. Tilting the head back and lifting the chin is a neck-extension maneuver that can move the spine and isn’t the jaw-thrust technique. Pushing on the Adam’s apple describes cricoid pressure, a different maneuver used in other contexts and not part of opening the airway with a jaw-thrust. Relying on neck extension alone does not reliably open the airway and can worsen obstruction.

Opening the airway in a child with a jaw-thrust focuses on moving the mandible forward to push the tongue away from the back of the throat while keeping the neck in a neutral position. Stand at the child’s head, place your thumbs on the center of the lower jaw, and lift the jaw forward and upward. Keeping the neck neutral minimizes cervical spine movement, which is especially important in pediatric trauma where spinal injury is a concern. This forward lift clears the airway by preventing the tongue from occluding the pharynx without tilting the head back.

The other approaches don’t fit the situation. Tilting the head back and lifting the chin is a neck-extension maneuver that can move the spine and isn’t the jaw-thrust technique. Pushing on the Adam’s apple describes cricoid pressure, a different maneuver used in other contexts and not part of opening the airway with a jaw-thrust. Relying on neck extension alone does not reliably open the airway and can worsen obstruction.