AY Honors/First aid/Rescue breathing

Rescue Breathing. The head of the patient is tilted backward. The rescuer closes the nose with one hand, while pushing the chin downward with the other hand to keep the patient's mouth open.

• If the patient is breathing, do not administer rescue breathing.
• Start by blowing two breaths into the victim's mouth. These can help a nearly breathing patient recover spontaneous respiration.
• Tilt back the head of the patient to extend his airways; the head will remain in this position by itself, you do not have to maintain it so.
• Open the jaw of the patient by pulling on his chin.

In some cases (like some cases of epilepsy), the muscles of the patients are so contracted that it is impossible to open the mouth. Contrary to urban legend, the patient will not "swallow" their tonuge. In this situation, it may not be possible to blow into the mouth. Instead, seal the lips together and breath into the nose while keeping the head tilted back.

• Close the nose of the patient with your free hand.
• Take a deep breath, put your mouth on the mouth of the patient in an airtight manner, and blow into the mouth of the patient. These breaths should be gentle and last no longer than 2 seconds to prevent air from entering the stomach.

When you have given two rescue breaths, check the patient's pulse, while keeping an eye on his respiration. Chances are that

• The patient might have recovered spontaneous respiration thanks to your rescue breaths.
• The patient might be in a state of cardio-respiratory arrest.

If the patient has recovered spontaneous respiration, put him in the recovery position, cover him, and monitor his breathing on a regular basis until an ambulance arrives.

If the patient is in a state of cardio-respiratory arrest, you will have to perform CPR.