What is the recommended suctioning pattern during airway management?

• A. Suction continuously for 30 seconds, then ventilate
• B. Suction only during chest compressions
• C. No suctioning
• D. Alternate suctioning for 15 seconds and ventilations for 2 minutes

Answer: (D)

Clearing the airway must be balanced with delivering breaths. Suctioning should be brief and used to remove secretions or obstructions without stopping ventilation for extended periods. The best approach is to clear the airway in short bursts and then resume ventilation, maintaining oxygen delivery while keeping the airway open.

Alternating 15 seconds of suctioning with 2 minutes of ventilation achieves that balance: you remove secretions quickly to improve airflow, then provide a sustained period of breaths to oxygenate the patient, reducing the risk of hypoxia from long interruptions. Continuous suctioning would pause ventilation too long and risk oxygen debt, suctioning only during chest compressions ignores the need to clear the airway when it’s obstructed outside compressions, and choosing not to suction at all fails to address secretions that impede ventilation.