High School

The nurse is suctioning an infant after delivery. Which statement reflects the correct procedure for clearing the infant's airway?

1) Suction the mouth first and then the nose
2) Suction the nose first and then the mouth
3) Suction the mouth and nose simultaneously
4) Suction the mouth and nose alternately

Answer :

Final answer:

The correct airway clearing procedure after infant delivery is to suction the mouth first and then the nose, helping prevent aspiration and ensuring the airway is properly cleared. Therefore the correct answer is 1) Suction the mouth first and then the nose

Explanation:

The correct procedure for clearing an infant's airway after delivery is to suction the mouth first and then the nose. This is because suctioning the mouth before the nose minimizes the risk of inducing a swallowing reflex that could cause the infant to aspirate any secretions present in the oral cavity into the lungs. Moreover, the anatomy of the airways favors suctioning the mouth first, as the nasal passages are better at filtering and the act of mouth suctioning reduces the likelihood of pushing secretions from the mouth into the respiratory tract.