Which airway technique is preferred when cervical spine injury is suspected?

Which airway technique is preferred when cervical spine injury is suspected?

• A. Head-tilt, chin-lift technique
• B. Jaw-thrust with manual inline stabilization
• C. Endotracheal intubation without stabilization
• D. Heimlich maneuver

Answer: (B)

When a cervical spine injury is suspected, the airway must be opened without moving the neck. The jaw-thrust with manual inline stabilization does exactly this: you lift the mandible forward to open the airway while your hands keep the head and neck in a neutral, aligned position to minimize movement of the spine. This approach provides airway access and patency without extending or flexing the neck, which could worsen spinal injury. The head-tilt, chin-lift technique would require tilting the head back, which can extend the cervical spine and risk further injury. Endotracheal intubation without stabilization could still move the neck during tube placement, potentially harming the spine. The Heimlich maneuver is for relieving an obstruction and does not address securing an airway in trauma with suspected cervical injury.

When a cervical spine injury is suspected, the airway must be opened without moving the neck. The jaw-thrust with manual inline stabilization does exactly this: you lift the mandible forward to open the airway while your hands keep the head and neck in a neutral, aligned position to minimize movement of the spine. This approach provides airway access and patency without extending or flexing the neck, which could worsen spinal injury.

The head-tilt, chin-lift technique would require tilting the head back, which can extend the cervical spine and risk further injury. Endotracheal intubation without stabilization could still move the neck during tube placement, potentially harming the spine. The Heimlich maneuver is for relieving an obstruction and does not address securing an airway in trauma with suspected cervical injury.