Jaw-Thrust Maneuver

The jaw-thrust maneuver is a first aid and medical procedure used to stop the tongue from obstructing the upper airway, and is one of the two primary basic airway management techniques. With the patient lying face up, the rescuer places the index and middle fingers behind the angle of the lower jaw and pushes it upward while the thumbs press down on the chin to open the mouth, drawing the tongue forward away from the entrance to the trachea. It has traditionally been preferred when a spinal injury, particularly of the cervical vertebrae, is suspected, though the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation has reviewed studies finding no spine protective advantage over the head tilt/chin lift maneuver and now recommends that technique instead; the jaw thrust is also used together with other basic airway methods such as bag valve mask ventilation.