NASAL ROUTE FOR INFANT RESUSCITATION BY MOTHERS

In infants under 6 months of age air normally enters the trachea by th e nose because the tongue fills the oral cavity, and the oral route is open only when the infant is making muscular efforts such as crying o r gasping. The present recommendation for infant resuscitation is for the resuscitator's mouth to cover the mouth and nose of the baby. We s et out to test whether this recommendation is feasible. We measured th e dimensions of the faces of 28 babies aged between 2 and 4 months (th e age when resuscitation is most often needed) and of the mouths of 25 of their mothers. Only 2 mothers would have been able to cover with t heir mouths the nose and closed mouth of 2 babies (not their own). The mannequins often used to teach adults to resuscitate infants are misl eading because they present a wide open mouth, thus implying that that is the preferred route. We recommend that the nasal route of air entr y be taught to parents for resuscitation of babies who have stopped br eathing.