Airway anatomy, equipment, and airway management: curriculum recognition: 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.

Try it

Anaesthesia · Airway anatomy, equipment, and airway management: curriculum recognition

Sample item

After failed intubation and failed mask ventilation, a patient is desaturating rapidly. The anaesthetist makes a scalpel incision through the membrane between the thyroid cartilage and the cartilage ring below it and inserts a tube. Which emergency procedure is this?

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

The answer and the reasoning

D. Cricothyrotomy

In a cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate situation, front-of-neck access through the cricothyroid membrane is the final rescue step. A scalpel-bougie-tube technique is widely taught. Formal tracheostomy is too slow.

Option by option

  • A. Oropharyngeal airway insertion

    An oropharyngeal airway cannot relieve obstruction when ventilation has failed.

  • B. Elective tracheostomy

    Tracheostomy is a planned, slower operation.

  • C. Retrograde intubation

    Retrograde intubation needs time and a guide wire.

  • D. Cricothyrotomy (correct)

    Correct. Scalpel access through the cricothyroid membrane is the rescue.

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.

More Anaesthesia questions

Questions about this Anaesthesia question

What is the answer to this Anaesthesia question?

The best answer is D, Cricothyrotomy. In a cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate situation, front-of-neck access through the cricothyroid membrane is the final rescue step.

Why is "Oropharyngeal airway insertion" not the answer?

An oropharyngeal airway cannot relieve obstruction when ventilation has failed.

Why is "Elective tracheostomy" not the answer?

Tracheostomy is a planned, slower operation.

Why is "Retrograde intubation" not the answer?

Retrograde intubation needs time and a guide wire.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Airway anatomy, equipment, and airway management: curriculum recognition in Anaesthesia. A scalpel-bougie-tube technique is widely taught. Formal tracheostomy is too slow.

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 Airway anatomy, equipment, and airway management: curriculum recognition?

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.