Question

A nurse is eating in a restaurant when a woman who is 8 months pregnant at the next table begins to choke. Which hand placement should the nurse use to perform the abdominal-thrust maneuver?

a) Midsternum
b) Lower sternum
c) Midway between umbilicus and xiphoid process
d) Midway between umbilicus and symphysis pubis

Answer 1

For a pregnant woman who is choking, the nurse should perform chest thrusts with hand placement midway between the umbilicus and the xiphoid process to avoid potential harm to the fetus.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a nurse encounters a pregnant woman who is choking, it is critical to avoid traditional abdominal thrusts due to the risk to the fetus. Instead, the nurse should perform chest thrusts. The correct hand placement for a pregnant woman is midway between the umbilicus and the xiphoid process, which is Option (c). This is because the traditional location for abdominal thrusts used in the Heimlich maneuver, which is just above the navel, could potentially harm the unborn baby. Chest thrusts should be administered with the heel of the hand on the lower half of the breastbone, making sure to avoid the top of the stomach.