C handle

This article covers the medical C-handle. For the musical C-grip see accordion # button grip .

Bag-mask ventilation with C-handle. Viewed from above, the thumb and index finger of the left hand form a C.

The C-handle enables a breathing mask to be held over the mouth and nose of a person requiring ventilation with one hand , while the other hand uses the resuscitator to press air into the airways. The aim is to ensure that the mask fits tightly, which is essential for adequate ventilation.

The C-handle owes its name to the appearance of the thumb and index finger during ventilation. These grip the mask and fix it on the face, while the other fingers grip the body of the lower jaw ( corpus mandibulae ). At the same time, with careful pulling, the neck is hyperextended backwards ( reclination ), which clears the airways as the tongue and soft palate ( velum palatinum ) can no longer obstruct them.

If used improperly by powerful grip in the soft tissue instead of the mandible, the hyoid bone ( hyoid ) are violated.

If it is not possible to place the mask tightly on the face using the single C-grip, the double C-grip can be tried, in which the mask is held with both hands. A resuscitator must then be operated by a second person.

The C-handle is used wherever a mask has to be used for ventilation, most often in anesthesia , intensive care and emergency medicine .

literature

• Walied Abdulla: Interdisciplinary Intensive Care Medicine. Urban & Fischer, Munich a. a. 1999, ISBN 3-437-41410-0 , p. 11.

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !