Instructions for Rescue Breathing

1. What is Rescue Breathing?

Rescue breathing is an emergency method aimed at supplying oxygen to a person who has stopped breathing. This method is commonly used in emergency situations such as drowning, poisoning, or when a person is unconscious due to trauma. When there are no doctors, medical staff, or supportive medical equipment nearby, rescue breathing is a safe first aid method. This is a method that is not difficult to perform and can be easily accessed by everyone in the community; however, without grasping the method, it is easy to become confused when a critical situation occurs.

Cardiac arrest or respiratory arrest are emergency situations requiring immediate intervention. The rescue breathing technique becomes an important first aid method for people. In decisive moments, knowing how to perform this method can make a big difference. Rescue breathing helps provide oxygen in a timely manner, maintaining life and preventing brain damage due to lack of oxygen.

This technique can help save lives in emergency situations. It is also easy for everyone to perform. With a little guidance, anyone can learn and practice as well as apply it in reality when a critical situation occurs.

2. How to Perform Rescue Breathing

Step 1: Assess the Situation

• Check for safety: Before approaching the victim, pay attention to the surrounding area to ensure safety for both you and the victim. Keep calm and do not panic; approach the victim carefully and perform first aid steps accurately. Safety checking is the first and most important step in the rescue process. Ensuring that you are safe will help you perform rescue steps more effectively and protect the lives of both the victim and yourself.

• Check consciousness: Call their name or gently shake their shoulders to see if the victim reacts. This helps check whether the victim is conscious or unconscious. Call emergency services or ask someone else to assist in calling emergency services in case the victim is in an unconscious state. Observe the chest to see if there is movement. If no breathing is seen for 10 seconds, begin performing rescue breathing. Note that when you are alone, assess the situation and proceed to perform rescue breathing first aid immediately for the first 2 minutes before calling for help. This can save the victim's life.

Step 2: Position and Clear the Victim's Airway

• Place the patient on a hard, flat surface. Kneel beside the victim's neck and shoulders, and check the victim's airway. Clear the airway by hooking out all foreign objects, phlegm, and debris. You can use a finger wrapped in a clean cloth in this case, but be careful not to cause further injury to the victim.

• Tilt the head and lift the chin to open the respiratory tract. Use one hand to hold the victim's forehead and the other hand to push the chin forward to widen the respiratory tract. Place your ear near the victim's mouth and nose to listen for breathing sounds. Combine this with observing chest movement for about 10 seconds. If strange sounds are heard, breathing is weak, or there is no sound and no chest movement, immediately perform rescue breathing.

Step 3: Perform Rescue Breathing Mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing is an emergency method to supply oxygen to a person who has stopped breathing or whose heart has stopped. This skill is very important to apply in emergency situations.

• Pinch the nose: Use your fingers to pinch the victim's nose shut. Pinching the nose helps prevent air from escaping when you blow air into the victim's mouth. This ensures that oxygen is transmitted into their lungs, increasing the effectiveness of rescue breathing.

• Blow air into the mouth: Place your mouth over the patient's mouth and blow in (a thin piece of gauze can be used), ensuring no air escapes. Perform rescue breaths about 2 times, with each breath lasting about 1 second. Then, check the breathing rhythm. Observe if the chest rises, and repeat. This technique can be combined with the external chest compression method if necessary (30 compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths).

3. Notes When Performing Rescue Breathing Technique

• Only perform when necessary: Ensure you assess the situation correctly and that the victim truly is not breathing before starting rescue breathing. If the victim is still breathing, performing rescue breathing can cause damage to the lungs and is truly unnecessary.

• Do not blow too hard: Blowing air too hard can cause lung damage or cause the patient to suffer from pneumothorax. In practice, each breath into the victim's mouth should last about one second, and when you see their chest rise, that is the sign that air has entered inside. Instead of focusing on the power of the breath, you should pay attention to creating a steady and continuous stream of air. This will help increase the chance of recovery for the victim in decisive moments.

• Call emergency services: In all cases, call emergency services immediately after starting rescue breathing. Respiratory arrest or cardiac arrest is an emergency situation, and the sooner there is intervention from the medical team, the higher the chance of survival as well as the reduction of complications for the victim.

The rescue breathing technique is an important skill that everyone should know. In emergency situations, the ability to perform this technique correctly can save a human life. Equip yourself with knowledge and participate in practical training classes to be ready when necessary and timely.