Resuscitation--opening the airway. A comparative study of techniques for opening an airway obstructed by the tongue

The effectiveness of three techniques for opening an airway obstructed by the tongue was studied and compared. The research involved patients who were anesthetized for elective surgery. The first group of patients, not breathing on their own, were ventilated by mouth-to-mouth breathing. The second group was unconscious, making spontaneous respiratory effort, but had total airway obstruction produced by the tongue from relaxation of the lower jaw. The three techniques--neck lift, chin lift, and jaw thrust--were performed on all patients in both groups. The adequacy of ventilation was compared subjectively and by measuring air flow with a Wright Respirometer. Results indicate that the chin lift technique provides the most consistently adequate airway.