Basic Life Support (BLS) Practice Exam

What is an appropriate initial treatment for a responsive child with an airway obstruction?

1. Encourage coughing

2. Administer back blows

3. Perform chest compressions

4. Have the child bend over

The correct answer is: Administer back blows

In cases of a responsive child experiencing an airway obstruction, the recommended approach involves administering back blows. This technique allows the caregiver to use the force of gravity and the strength of the blows to potentially dislodge an obstruction from the airway. Administering a series of firm back blows between the child's shoulder blades can help to expel the object causing the blockage. Encouraging coughing is generally appropriate as a response to mild airway obstruction, but when the obstruction is severe enough to require intervention, back blows become the more effective method. Performing chest compressions is reserved for situations where the child is either unresponsive or in cardiac arrest, and thus it is not suitable in this context. Having the child bend over may provide some assistance by changing the dynamics of the body, but it is not a primary treatment method for managing airway obstructions. This makes back blows the most appropriate and effective initial treatment for a responsive child experiencing an airway obstruction.