BLS Airway Management & Ventilation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An infant is found unresponsive. What is the preferred method to open their airway?
- Full head-tilt with aggressive chin-lift
- Neutral to slight head-tilt with gentle chin-lift (Correct answer)
- Jaw thrust only
- Neck hyperextension
Correct answer: Neutral to slight head-tilt with gentle chin-lift
For infants, only a slight head-tilt with gentle chin-lift is used because hyperextension can actually close the airway in very young children.
Question 2: During CPR, if the first rescue breath does not cause chest rise, what should you do before attempting the second breath?
- Increase breath volume and try again
- Reposition the airway and ensure a proper seal, then try again (Correct answer)
- Perform abdominal thrusts immediately
- Begin chest compressions without giving any more breaths
Correct answer: Reposition the airway and ensure a proper seal, then try again
If chest rise does not occur, reposition the airway (re-tilt the head and re-lift the chin) and ensure a proper mask or mouth seal before attempting the second breath.
Question 3: Which of the following is the most common cause of airway obstruction in an unconscious adult?
- A foreign body
- The tongue falling back into the throat (Correct answer)
- Swelling of the epiglottis
- Mucus accumulation
Correct answer: The tongue falling back into the throat
In unconscious patients, loss of muscle tone causes the tongue to relax and fall back, blocking the airway — which is why airway maneuvers focus on lifting the jaw.
Question 4: When performing mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing on an adult, how do you prevent air from escaping through the nose?
- Cover the patient's nose with your hand
- Pinch the patient's nose shut with your fingers (Correct answer)
- Tilt the head further back
- Seal your lips tightly over the patient's entire face
Correct answer: Pinch the patient's nose shut with your fingers
The rescuer pinches the patient's nose shut to prevent air from escaping during mouth-to-mouth ventilation.
Question 5: What is gastric inflation, and why is it a concern during rescue breathing?
- Air trapped in the chest; it causes a pneumothorax
- Air forced into the stomach; it can cause vomiting and aspiration (Correct answer)
- Swelling of the stomach lining; it blocks the diaphragm
- Air in the bloodstream; it causes an air embolism
Correct answer: Air forced into the stomach; it can cause vomiting and aspiration
Gastric inflation occurs when rescue breaths force air into the stomach, increasing the risk of regurgitation and aspiration of stomach contents into the lungs.
Question 6: For a child (ages 1 year to puberty) receiving CPR from two rescuers, what is the correct compression-to-ventilation ratio?
- 30:2
- 15:2 (Correct answer)
- 15:1
- 30:1
Correct answer: 15:2
Two-rescuer pediatric CPR uses a 15:2 ratio because children are more likely to have respiratory causes of cardiac arrest and benefit from more frequent ventilations.
Question 7: What does the acronym 'EC' stand for in the E-C clamp technique for bag-mask ventilation?
- Elbow-Chin
- Extension-Compression
- E (three fingers on jaw) and C (thumb and index finger on mask) (Correct answer)
- Emergency-Control
Correct answer: E (three fingers on jaw) and C (thumb and index finger on mask)
The E-C clamp uses three fingers (forming an 'E') to lift the jaw and two fingers (forming a 'C') to press the mask onto the face for a tight seal.
BLS Airway Management & Ventilation 3
An infant is found unresponsive.
What is the preferred method to open their airway?