Acute Care 8: Obstructed Airway Algorithm—
Adult and Pediatric
Chin lift/jaw thrust
to open the airway |
| Unable to ventilate |
| 5 abdominal thrusts (Chest thrusts in obesity or pregnancy) Repeat until patient unresponsive or obstruction relieved |
| Finger sweep only if
obstruction is visible (PEDS: not in small children) |
| Unable to ventilate |
| Start chest
compressions |
| Unable to ventilate |
| Laryngoscopy and
extraction with Magill forceps |
| Unable to ventilate |
| PEDS: Patient >7 years Intubate the trachea with a blunted ET tube over an ETI. Stand to the patient's right. Attach an EID and pull the FB into the ET tube. Extract the FB. Or attach a meconium aspirator to the tube and use wall suction to extract. |
| PEDS: Patient <7 years Intubate the trachea with a blunted ET tube over a PEDS ETI (PEDS ET tube exchanger). Attach an EID or a meconium aspirator attached to wall suction to extract. |
| If still unsuccessful, attempt to push the FB into bronchus. |