When to provide mouth to mouth resuscitation

Most of us are probably familiar with CPR. CPR means Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation. This is a procedure done to revive a person who has no breathing and no pulse. In other words, this is a lifesaving procedure that will perhaps bring a person back to life.

It is obvious that such procedure can only be provided when the victim has no breathing and has no pulse, thus the need to provide CPR.

However, there are circumstances that the patient may have a pulse. When the pulse is present, the heart is functioning. When the heart is functioning and there is no breathing, then rescue breathing is the only thing that must be provided.

Commonly this procedure is called mouth to mouth resuscitation. Mouth to mouth resuscitation is provided by means of blowing air into the victim or patients mouth. This will eventually provide the victim with the much needed oxygen in respiratory arrest cases.

The rate of blow would depend on the victim. For adult victims, the rate is eventually slower, about 5-6 breaths per minute. For children and infants, the rate would be 3-5 breaths per minute.

Each blow should at least be given at 1 second each regardless if the patient is an adult, a child or an infant. Another term for mouth to mouth resuscitation is Artificial Respiration.

Learning this basic procedure may help someone in an event of an emergency. Learn first aid, and help save lives.....