Obstructive airway care for infants

  • Place the infant face up on your forearm and use your other hand to support the infant’s head.
  • Carefully turn the infant over face down on your forearm using your thigh for support. 
  • The infant’s head should be positioned lower than the body. 
  • Using the heel of your hand, perform five back blows between infant’s shoulder blades.
  • If back blows are unable to dislodge the object. Perform 5 chest thrusts.
  • Position the infant face up on your forearm while using your hand to support the infant’s back of the head and neck.
  • Lower the infant to your thigh for support.
  • The infant’s head should be positioned lower than the body.
  • Place 2 fingers in the center of the chest below the nipple line
  • Perform 5 quick chest thrusts 1 ½ inches deep.

Continue 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts until:

  • The object is dislodged
  • The infant starts to cry, cough, or breathe
  • The infant becomes unresponsive in which you begin CPR immediately.
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