Bilateral jaw thrust usage is neither universally prevalent during laryngeal mask airway placement nor universally prevalent during anesthesia mask ventilation before laryngoscopy for endotracheal tube placement: A single anesthesia worksite observation

Background While placing two hands on the mask during manual or mechanical ventilation on unsecured airways, providers are not always providing bilateral jaw thrust for maintaining airway patency especially when focusing only on ensuring a good mask seal. Objectives To assess a single anesthesia worksite real-world prevalence of bilateral jaw thrust usage, it was looked through either (a) during laryngeal mask airway placement, or (b) during anesthesia mask ventilation before laryngoscopy for endotracheal tube placement. Materials and Methods Over a period of two months, anesthesia care of patients was respectively observed in terms of either (a) various strategies involved during laryngeal mask airway placement in its successful placement, or (b) various strategies involved during anesthesia mask ventilation in successful ventilation before laryngoscopy for endotracheal tube placement. Results During the two-month period, a total of 213 patients were observed. Among the small number of observed very first attempts at laryngeal mask airway placement (n=13), bilateral jaw thrust was only observed in 69% attempts. Among the total observations before the very first attempts at laryngoscopy for endotracheal tube placement (n=200), 26% were devoid of any attempts at anesthesia mask ventilation before laryngoscopy. Among the remaining observations (n=148), anesthesia mask ventilations were attempted before the very first attempts at laryngoscopy for endotracheal tube placement but bilateral jaw thrust was only observed in 37% attempts. Conclusion During laryngeal mask airway placement and during anesthesia mask ventilation before laryngoscopy for endotracheal tube placement, bilateral jaw thrust usage was not universally prevalent at the observed single anesthesia worksite.