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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

A Novel Rescue Technique for Difficult Intubation and Difficult Ventilation
Published on: January 17, 2011
Insights
Back blows and chest thrusts are recommended for relieving foreign body airway obstruction in children. This technique aims to create pressure to dislodge the obstruction, avoiding abdominal thrusts and blind finger sweeps.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Emergency Medicine
- First Aid
Background:
- Foreign body airway obstruction is a common emergency in infants and children.
- Current recommendations for relief vary, necessitating clear guidelines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the recommended technique for relieving foreign body airway obstruction in pediatric patients.
- To emphasize the combination of back blows and chest thrusts.
Main Methods:
- The study endorses a technique involving four back blows followed by four chest thrusts.
- Specific positioning for infants (face down, head lower) and older children (across thighs) is described.
- Back blows are delivered with the heel of the hand; chest thrusts mimic external cardiac compression.
Main Results:
- This combined approach is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association, and National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council.
- The technique aims to generate sufficient pressure to expel foreign bodies from the airway.
- Abdominal thrusts and blind finger sweeps are explicitly not recommended.
Conclusions:
- The combination of back blows and chest thrusts is the preferred method for pediatric foreign body airway obstruction.
- Familiarity with these resuscitation techniques is crucial for healthcare professionals and the public.
- Avoiding certain maneuvers like abdominal thrusts is key to safe and effective intervention.
Abstract:
The Committee on Accident and Poison Prevention of the American Academy of Pediatrics concurs with the American Heart Association and the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council recommendation that the relief of foreign body airway obstruction in infants and children should be achieved through a combination of back blows and chest thrusts. The four back blows are intended to produce an artificial cough resulting in increased pressure in the blocked respiratory passages. The four chest thrusts are added to give an additional sustained pressure increase to facilitate expulsion of a foreign body. The use of the abdominal thrust is not recommended and blind finger sweeps should be avoided. Infants should be held face down with the head lower than the trunk; older children can be placed across the thighs. The back blows are delivered with the heel of the hand. The chest thrusts are delivered as for external cardiac compression. Physicians and the general public should be familiar with recommended resuscitation techniques.
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