Question

During a breech delivery, the head has not emerged within 3 minutes. At this point, what should the EMT do?

1) Form an airway with one or two gloved fingers that push the vaginal wall away from the infants face
2) Support the infant's body and provide gentle traction until the head emerges
3) Place the mother in a laterally recumbent position
4) Place a gloved finger inside the vagina near the umbilical cord to keep pressure off the cord

Answer 1

In a breech delivery, if the newborn's head is not delivered within 3 minutes, an EMT should form an airway by pushing the vaginal wall away from the infant's face with gloved fingers to enable the baby to breathe.

Step-by-step explanation:

During a breech delivery, if the newborn's head has not emerged within 3 minutes, the appropriate action for an EMT would be to form an airway with one or two gloved fingers that push the vaginal wall away from the infant's face. This facilitates the baby's ability to breathe while additional help or maneuvers are performed to deliver the head. It is crucial because during the expulsion stage, which begins when the fetal head enters the birth canal and ends with the birth of the newborn, the newborn must establish its own airway quickly after delivery to ensure oxygenation.

Furthermore, since the rest of the body usually follows quickly after the head is birthed according to typical delivery procedures, ensuring an airway for the infant takes precedence and immediate action must be taken to prevent asphyxiation.