Basic resuscitation: infant choking: practice question

A Anaesthesia question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Anaesthesia · Basic resuscitation: infant choking

Sample item

A health professional finds a 6-month-old who is conscious, silent and cyanosed, unable to cry or cough after choking on a toy. What is the correct first-aid sequence?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. Five back blows alternating with five chest thrusts

For a conscious infant with severe airway obstruction, the sequence is five back blows with the infant head-down on the forearm, then five chest thrusts, repeated. Abdominal thrusts are avoided in infants because of the risk of liver injury, and blind finger sweeps can push the object deeper.

Option by option

  • A. Five back blows alternating with five abdominal thrusts

    Abdominal thrusts can injure the infant's liver and are not used in infants.

  • B. Blind finger sweeps of the mouth followed by breaths

    Blind sweeps can wedge the object deeper into the airway.

  • C. Holding the infant upside down and shaking

    Shaking an upside-down infant is unsafe and ineffective.

  • D. Five back blows alternating with five chest thrusts (correct)

    Correct. Alternating back blows and chest thrusts is the recommended infant sequence.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Anaesthesia question

What is the answer to this Anaesthesia question?

The best answer is D, Five back blows alternating with five chest thrusts. For a conscious infant with severe airway obstruction, the sequence is five back blows with the infant head-down on the forearm, then five chest thrusts, repeated.

Why is "Five back blows alternating with five abdominal thrusts" not the answer?

Abdominal thrusts can injure the infant's liver and are not used in infants.

Why is "Blind finger sweeps of the mouth followed by breaths" not the answer?

Blind sweeps can wedge the object deeper into the airway.

Why is "Holding the infant upside down and shaking" not the answer?

Shaking an upside-down infant is unsafe and ineffective.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Basic resuscitation: infant choking in Anaesthesia. Abdominal thrusts are avoided in infants because of the risk of liver injury, and blind finger sweeps can push the object deeper.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Basic resuscitation: infant choking?

Make a table of each agent, its key advantage and its main side effect. Then use the flashcards and the other Anaesthesia questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.