Before giving breaths to an adult, you should open their airway using the head-tilt/chin-lift technique to a slightly past neutral position of the head (head gently tilted back so the face is more parallel to the ceiling, not hyperextended).

Correct head position

  • The adult’s head should be in a neutral or slightly past neutral “sniffing” position, which aligns the ear with the sternal notch and helps open the airway.
  • In practice, this means gently tilting the forehead back while lifting the chin so the tongue lifts away from the back of the throat and the airway stays open.

Why this position matters

  • A neutral to slightly past neutral position maximizes airflow while avoiding excessive neck extension that could narrow the airway or risk neck injury.
  • For contrast, infants and very young children are usually kept in a neutral position only, but adults often need that slight movement past neutral to fully open the airway before breaths.

TL;DR: Open the airway with head-tilt/chin-lift to a neutral to slightly past neutral (sniffing) position before giving breaths to an adult.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.