Nasal route for infant resuscitation by mothers

In infants under 6 months of age air normally enters the trachea by the 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 or gasping. The present recommendation for infant resuscitation is for the resuscitatorʹs mouth to cover the mouth and nose of the baby. We set out to test whether this recommendation is feasible. We measured the dimensions of the faces of 28 bables aged between 2 and 4 months (the age when resuscitation is most often meeded) and of the mouths of 25 of their mothers. Only 2 mothers wouls have been able to cover with their mouths the nose and closed mouth of 2 babies (not their own). The mannequins often used to teach adults to resuscitate infants are misleading because they present a wide open mouth, thus implying that that is the preferred rout. We recommend that the nasal route of air entry be taught to parents fior resuscitation of babies who have stopped breathing.