Complications, recovery, and safety culture: 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.

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Anaesthesia · Complications, recovery, and safety culture: curriculum recognition

Sample item

In the recovery room, a patient after general anaesthesia is snoring with paradoxical see-saw chest and abdominal movements and a falling SpO2. Which is the most appropriate first manoeuvre?

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

The answer and the reasoning

B. Chin lift or jaw thrust with oxygen

Snoring and see-saw breathing indicate upper airway obstruction, usually from the tongue and soft tissues falling back in a sedated patient. Simple manoeuvres, chin lift or jaw thrust with oxygen, relieve it, and an oropharyngeal airway or nasal airway may be added. Invasive measures are kept for failure of these steps.

Option by option

  • A. Immediate reintubation after fresh induction

    Reintubation is unnecessary before simple manoeuvres have been tried.

  • B. Chin lift or jaw thrust with oxygen (correct)

    Correct. Simple airway opening manoeuvres are the first step.

  • C. Immediate surgical cricothyroidotomy

    Surgical airway is a last resort when simple manoeuvres and adjuncts have failed.

  • D. Intravenous suxamethonium

    Suxamethonium treats laryngospasm and would paralyse a patient who has a reversible soft-tissue obstruction.

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 B, Chin lift or jaw thrust with oxygen. Snoring and see-saw breathing indicate upper airway obstruction, usually from the tongue and soft tissues falling back in a sedated patient.

Why is "Immediate reintubation after fresh induction" not the answer?

Reintubation is unnecessary before simple manoeuvres have been tried.

Why is "Immediate surgical cricothyroidotomy" not the answer?

Surgical airway is a last resort when simple manoeuvres and adjuncts have failed.

Why is "Intravenous suxamethonium" not the answer?

Suxamethonium treats laryngospasm and would paralyse a patient who has a reversible soft-tissue obstruction.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Complications, recovery, and safety culture: curriculum recognition in Anaesthesia. Simple manoeuvres, chin lift or jaw thrust with oxygen, relieve it, and an oropharyngeal airway or nasal airway may be added. Invasive measures are kept for failure of these steps.

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 Complications, recovery, and safety culture: 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.