Endotracheal intubation attempts should be limited to how many seconds to decrease the risk of complications?

• A. 30 seconds
• B. 60 seconds
• C. 15 seconds
• D. 45 seconds

Answer: (A)

Limiting the time spent on each attempt is essential because newborns desaturate rapidly when they’re not being ventilated. Endotracheal attempts should be kept to about 30 seconds to reduce the risk of hypoxemia, bradycardia, and other complications that arise from prolonged apnea during airway placement. If the tube isn’t placed within 30 seconds, stop the procedure, resume bag‑valve‑mask ventilation to reoxygenate, reassess the airway, and consider retrying after brief ventilation or using an alternative airway device while continuing oxygenation. This approach emphasizes reoxygenation between attempts and getting help promptly to maintain perfusion and oxygen delivery.