Rescue breathing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rescue Breathing is a specific first aid protocol which refers to the delivery of air from a person (the rescuer) into a patient. In some countries it is called Expired Air Resuscitation (EAR) or Expired Air Ventilation (EAV). A common everyday term is "mouth-to-mouth resuscitation".
There are several informal terms for rescue breathing, such as "the kiss of life".
The act (alone) of one person exhaling into another unresponsive person is generally known as "Artificial Respiration", which makes up a part of the Rescue breathing protocol.
Rescue Breathing is no longer performed, according to ILCOR. Instead, all non-breathing victims should receive CPR.
[edit] Efficiency and Safety
Normal air contains approximately 21% oxygen; air being exhaled by humans contains 17% oxygen, which is more than enough to help a non-breathing patient.
Several concerns have been raised regarding rescuer safety, although the resuscitation council (UK) reports that there have been no documented cases of rescuers contracting infectious diseases following rescue breathing. For this reason, several protector devices (such as the CPR mask and the face shield) have been developed.
[edit] References
- ↑ Physical Intervention: Life Support (Rescue Breathing). Retrieved on December 29, 2005.
