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Definition
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.
Description
When a person has not been choking and their airway is clear of obstruction, their body may no longer be breathing but may still have a pulse. This situation is more common in water-related emergencies. A person who is capable will use their own breath at prescribed intervals to push oxygen into the lungs of a patient who isn't breathing.
Efficiency and Safety
Normal air contains approximately 21% oxygen; air being exhaled by humans contains 16% 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 face shield) have been developed.
References
External links
- Clear Instructions on How To Do (just about) Everything (Rescue Breathing)
- Expired Air Resuscitation
- Basic first aid advice from the Australian New South Wales ambulance service
- Two page pamphlet detailing EAR
"Rescue breathing"