CPR rescue breaths keep oxygen flowing to a person’s brain when they stop breathing or their heart stops beating. Working in tandem with chest compressions, CPR rescue breaths form the full range of cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques that can increase a victim’s chances of survival by double or even triple. In instances of cardiac arrest, drowning or overdose, CPR rescue breaths can help keep someone breathing until emergency help arrives.
While hands-only CPR is effective for heart attacks and cardiac arrest in the first few minutes, CPR rescue breaths are just as important. When combined with chest compressions they give someone the best chance of survival.
What is Rescue Breathing?
Rescue breathing is the act of breathing air directly into someone’s lungs when they have stopped breathing on their own to maintain oxygen to their brain. The Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation (ANZCOR) guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care recommend a combination of 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths. Each rescue breath should last for approximately 1 second and make the chest visibly rise.
When Should I Perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation?
You should perform CPR rescue breaths when someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally. They’ll appear collapsed and lying still, unresponsive to stimuli, and their chest will not be rising and falling. This includes situations like cardiac arrest, heart attacks, drowning, drug overdoses, allergic reactions, and electrocution.
Do not perform CPR rescue breaths on someone who is breathing normally, even if they are unconscious. You should also avoid CPR if the person shows obvious signs of life, such as coughing, moving, or opening their eyes.
If you’re not sure, always err on the side of caution. Someone who needs CPR rescue breaths is already in the worst possible situation and trying to help them won’t make things worse, it can only save their life. Even imperfect CPR is better than no CPR at all.
How to Perform CPR Rescue Breaths
Before starting CPR rescue breaths, you need to ensure your own safety. Look around for dangers such as traffic, fire, smoke, electrical wires, or gas leaks, and don’t move towards the victim if any of these are present. You can’t help someone if you become a victim too. Move the person to safety is possible, otherwise wait for emergency help to arrive.
See if the person is conscious by tapping or shaking their shoulders and shouting clear questions like “Are you okay?” or “Can you hear me?” Watch for any response including movement, groaning, eye opening, or flinching. No response means the person needs immediate help.
Next check their breathing by putting your ear close to their mouth and nose. Look at their chest, listen for breath , and feel for air on your cheek. Normal breathing shows steady, regular chest movement; otherwise they’ll need CPR rescue breaths.
The next step is to call triple zero for help. If you are alone, put your phone on speaker, but if others are present have someone else call the ambulance instead.
Position the person by rolling them flat onto their back. When performing full CPR start with 30 chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute before starting CPR rescue breaths. Place the heel of your hand on the centre of the chest, then put your other hand on top of the first. Keep your arms straight and use your body weight to compress the chest to a depth of at least 5 centimetres.
After that it’s time to begin CPR rescue breaths. Open their airway by placing one hand on their forehead and pinching their nose closed with your fingers, and gently tilting their head back while lifting their chin with your other hand. Take a normal breath, seal your mouth completely over the person’s mouth, and blow steadily for about 1 second. Watch to see if their chest rises; if it does then give a second rescue breath and repeat the cycle. If their chest doesn’t rise, reposition their head and try again.
Baby CPR
Baby CPR largely follows the same steps as for an adult, but with a few key modifications.
For chest compressions, use two fingers instead of your whole hand, and only press in a third of the depth (about 4cm).
To open their airway, place one hand on the baby’s forehead and gently tilt the head to a neutral position. Unlike adults, babies do not need a pronounced head tilt. Lift the chin slightly with one finger to open the airway. For babies, you’ll need to cover both the mouth and nose with your mouth to create a proper seal. Rather than a full CPR rescue breath, give a gentle puff of air for about 1 second.
First Aid and CPR Training
Knowing how to perform CPR rescue breaths is only one part of CPR. Chest compressions alone don’t make up the rest; there’s also learning how to use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). To properly learn to provide CPR, you need to take either a first aid or CPR training course. The guidelines for CPR recommend taking a course yearly to keep your knowledge up to date under the pressure of a real life scenario. When you’re trained in CPR for adults and children, there’s no one you can’t help. With training in CPR and rescue breathing, you could one day save a life.
FAQs
Australia has Good Samaritan laws that protect people who provide emergency assistance in good faith. You cannot be sued for helping someone in cardiac arrest, even if you make mistakes or cause injuries like broken ribs during chest compressions.
If someone vomits quickly turn them onto their side to let the vomit drain out of their mouth. Use your fingers or a cloth to clear any remaining material from their mouth and throat. Then roll them back onto their back and immediately resume chest compressions.
Continue CPR until one of three things happens: emergency medical services arrive and take over, the person starts breathing normally and shows signs of life, or you become physically exhausted and cannot continue. Otherwise do not allow interruptions to chest compressions and rescue breaths.
