What is recommended for reduced airway compliance?

• A. Reposition airway and consider airway adjunct
• B. Increase tidal volume by 20%
• C. Administer bronchodilator inhalation only
• D. Place the patient in Trendelenburg position

Answer: (A)

When airway compliance is reduced, the priority is to keep the airway patent so ventilation can occur despite stiffer lungs or chest walls. Repositioning the head and neck to optimize airway alignment helps open the passage, and using an airway adjunct (such as an oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal airway) prevents the tongue or soft tissues from collapsing the airway, making ventilation more effective without needing large pressure changes. This approach directly addresses the mechanical issue of a narrowed or obstructed airway that can worsen with reduced compliance.

Increasing tidal volume by a fixed amount raises airway pressures in a stiff system and can cause barotrauma without reliably improving ventilation. A bronchodilator might help if bronchospasm is present, but it does not fix the underlying reduced compliance. Trendelenburg positioning is not a reliable or safe method to improve ventilation and can introduce other risks.