What airway maneuver is preferred when there is a suspected spinal injury and the airway is unobstructed?

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Multiple Choice

What airway maneuver is preferred when there is a suspected spinal injury and the airway is unobstructed?

When a spinal injury is suspected, protecting the cervical spine is the top priority, so you want to open the airway without moving the head or neck. The jaw-thrust maneuver with manual in-line stabilization achieves this: it lifts the mandible forward to open the airway while keeping the head and neck in a neutral, aligned position, preventing any extension or rotation of the spine. Head-tilt chin-lift would extend the neck and potentially worsen a spinal injury, which is why it isn’t preferred. Inserting an airway adjunct like an oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal airway could be considered later if needed, but the best initial approach to maintain airway patency while protecting the spine is the jaw-thrust with inline stabilization.

When a spinal injury is suspected, protecting the cervical spine is the top priority, so you want to open the airway without moving the head or neck. The jaw-thrust maneuver with manual in-line stabilization achieves this: it lifts the mandible forward to open the airway while keeping the head and neck in a neutral, aligned position, preventing any extension or rotation of the spine.

Head-tilt chin-lift would extend the neck and potentially worsen a spinal injury, which is why it isn’t preferred. Inserting an airway adjunct like an oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal airway could be considered later if needed, but the best initial approach to maintain airway patency while protecting the spine is the jaw-thrust with inline stabilization.

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