To perform rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation), the rescuer should kneel beside the victim’s head, positioning themselves lower, and use their mouth to blow air into the victim’s nose or mouth. It is preferable to blow through a specialized mask for rescue breaths to avoid the risk of disease transmission.
To blow air into the victim’s lungs, the rescuer should lift the victim’s chin and tilt their head back to open the airway. The rescuer should then gently blow into the victim’s mouth or nose twice continuously, with each breath lasting no longer than 2 seconds.
When blowing into the victim’s mouth, the rescuer should use two fingers to pinch the victim’s nose, while keeping their own mouth open wide to cover both corners of the victim’s mouth.
When choosing to blow into the victim’s nose, the rescuer should close the victim’s mouth tightly to prevent air from escaping.
Proper rescue breaths can be observed by a slight rise in the victim’s chest, indicating air entering their lungs.
For infants, only use air from the rescuer’s mouth (not air from their lungs) to blow gently since an infant’s lungs are very small. The rescuer can cover both the infant’s mouth and nose with their mouth simultaneously to prevent air from escaping when blowing.
Note: It is common for rescuers to become fatigued after 2 minutes of performing CPR. Therefore, it is necessary to call for help and take turns to ensure continuous CPR for the victim. CPR alone does not save lives; only proper and immediate CPR can help.
Note: The air we breathe typically contains 21% oxygen. The body requires 5% oxygen for each respiratory cycle -> exhaled breath still containing 16% oxygen.
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