For an 8-month-old infant with a severe airway obstruction who is choking and still responsive, which measure is recommended?

For an 8-month-old infant with a severe airway obstruction who is choking and still responsive, which measure is recommended?

• A. Abdominal thrusts
• B. Back slaps and chest thrusts
• C. Finger sweep
• D. No intervention until help arrives

Answer: (B)

When an infant under one year is choking but still responsive, use a two-part maneuver: five back blows followed by five chest thrusts, then repeat as needed. The infant is held face down along your forearm with the head supported and lower than the chest, and you deliver five firm back blows between the shoulder blades. Then turn the infant over and give five chest thrusts with two or three fingers just below the nipple line, compressing about 1.5 inches (4 cm). This sequence helps dislodge the object with both vibration and increased intrathoracic pressure, which is the safest and most effective approach for tiny airways. Abdominal thrusts aren’t used for infants due to the risk of injury and the different anatomy. A finger sweep is only appropriate if you can see and clearly grasp the object in the mouth; do not perform a blind sweep. If the obstruction isn’t relieved, continue the cycles and call for help; if the infant becomes unresponsive, begin CPR with rescue breaths.

When an infant under one year is choking but still responsive, use a two-part maneuver: five back blows followed by five chest thrusts, then repeat as needed. The infant is held face down along your forearm with the head supported and lower than the chest, and you deliver five firm back blows between the shoulder blades. Then turn the infant over and give five chest thrusts with two or three fingers just below the nipple line, compressing about 1.5 inches (4 cm). This sequence helps dislodge the object with both vibration and increased intrathoracic pressure, which is the safest and most effective approach for tiny airways.

Abdominal thrusts aren’t used for infants due to the risk of injury and the different anatomy. A finger sweep is only appropriate if you can see and clearly grasp the object in the mouth; do not perform a blind sweep. If the obstruction isn’t relieved, continue the cycles and call for help; if the infant becomes unresponsive, begin CPR with rescue breaths.