Final answer:
During general anesthesia, an assistant applies posterior pressure until the woman is intubated to prevent any regurgitated stomach contents from reaching her trachea.
Step-by-step explanation:
During general anesthesia, an assistant applies posterior pressure until the woman is intubated to prevent any regurgitated stomach contents from reaching her trachea. Placing a tube into the trachea allows the doctors to maintain a patient's open airway to the lungs and seal the airway off from the oropharynx. This is known as endotracheal intubation, which is the safest procedure to use on a patient under anesthesia.