Circulation 142 (16-suppl-2): S366-S468, 2020. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000916 Clearing and Opening the Upper Airway To relieve airway obstruction caused by soft tissues of the upper airway and provide optimal position for bag-valve-mask ventilation and laryngoscopy, the operator flexes the patient's neck to elevate the head until the external auditory meatus is in the same plane as the sternum and positions the face roughly parallel to the ceiling (see figure).