How To Perform Rescue Breathing

If the victim does not promptly resume adequate spontaneous breathing after the airway is open, rescue breathing (artificial respiration) must be initiated. Stay calm! (But think and act quickly!)

• The sooner you initiate rescue breathing, the more likely it is that you will be able to restore the victim's own spontaneous breathing efforts.
• If you are in doubt whether the victim is breathing, go ahead and perform rescue breathing ("artificial respiration"), since it can do no harm to a person who is breathing on his own (other than potential post-rescue embarrassment for both victim and rescuer!).
• If the victim is breathing, you will be able to feel and see his chest move. You can feel the flow of air on your fingers when you place your hand near his nose and mouth, and you can hear his breathing by listening near his face.

If you cannot feel or hear any air exchange, you must perform Rescue Breathing immediately. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is the preferred method; however, it cannot be used in all situations. If the victim has a severe jaw fracture or a bleeding mouth wound, or if his jaws are tightly clenched by spasm, the mouth-to-nose method is a better alternative.

Preliminary Steps - All Rescue Breathing Methods:

• Establish unresponsiveness
• Call for help
• Turn or position the victim
• Open the Airway:
  
1. Check for breathing by placing your ear over the victim's mouth and nose and looking toward his chest
2. Look for rise and fall of the victim's chest
3. Listen for sounds of breathing
4. Feel for breath on the side of your face. If the chest does not rise and fall and no air is exhaled, then the victim is not breathing. (This evaluation procedure should take a maximum of 3-5 seconds)
• Perform rescue breathing if the victim is not breathing

Although the rescuer may notice that the victim is making respiratory efforts, the airway may still be partially obstructed, and opening the airway may be all that is needed. If the victim resumes full, spontaneous breathing after doing airway-opening manoevers, the rescuer should continue to check to ensure that an open airway is maintained.