Most obstructed airways can be opened with no equipment at all.
- Head tilt-chin lift: one hand on the forehead tilting the head back, two fingers under the bony chin lifting upward. The default in non-trauma patients.
- Jaw thrust: fingers behind the angles of the mandible, pushing the jaw forward while the neck stays still. The manoeuvre of choice whenever spinal injury is possible.
Reassess immediately: has the noise stopped? Is the chest rising quietly?