"down-then-up-maneuver"

Q: What is "down-then-up-maneuver" in airway intubation?

Answer: "Down-then-up-maneuver" is usually attempted when a foreign body get stuck in supraglottic region or in trachea, and asphyxiation is imminent. An endo-tracheal-tube (ETT) with deflated cuff and a stylet is passed to displace suspected foreign subject into the bronchus which is usually the right bronchus. ETT is gently pushed as far as it could be. Once the obstruction is removed, ETT is pulled back 3 to 5 cm above the carina and the cuff is inflated.

Other option is emergent cricothyrotomy.

#procedures

Reference:

Walls, Ron M, Murphy, F. Foreign body in the adult airway. In: Manual of Emergency Airway Management, Fourth Ed., Wolters kluwer/Lippicott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia p.419-423.