Orotracheal Intubation – Medical Procedures – Medstudents

The height of the table where the patient is lied, should be adjusted so that the patient’s face is at the level of the xiphoid cartilage of the standing person who is performing the procedure. Elevating the patient’s head about 10 cm with pads under the occiput and extension of the head at the atlanto-occipital joint (sniffing position) serve to align the oral, pharyngeal, and laryngeal axis, so that the passage from the lips to the glottic opening is almost a straight line. This position permits better visualization of the glottis and vocal cords and allows easier passage of the endotracheal tube. For children under 1 month of age, the head should be in a neutral position. See Figure 1.

Figure 1:Letter A shows the wrong and letter B shows the correct position of patient’s head.