Ep. 4 Manual airway manoeuvres: How to perform the triple airway. Head tilt chin lift & jaw thrust
The triple airway manoeuvre is a combination of head tilt, chin lift & jaw thrust when both have failed individually.
Indications:
An unresponsive patient with an airway obstruction caused by the tongue
Head tilt, chin lift and jaw thrust has failed
Contraindications:
Responsive patients
Suspected c-spine injury
Advantages:
No equipment needed
Simple and non-invasive
Disadvantages
Does not protect the airway from aspiration
Requires two clinicians if ventilating
Difficult to maintain for long periods
Cannot be used with c-spine injuries
Procedure:
Step 1:
Apply appropriate PPE
Reduces the risk of cross infection
Step 2:
Identify the angle of the mandible
This will allow you to correctly place your fingers
Step 3:
Place your fingers behind the mandible
Lift in an upwards/ forwards motion
This moves the tongue away from the palate and the posterior pharyngeal wall creating a patent airway
Step 4:
Use your thumbs to open the patients mouth
This improves the likelihood the technique will be effective
Step 5:
Gently tilt the head backwards which in turn will lift the patients chin
Further improves airway patency
Step 6
Document what you have done
Always document what you done for a patient