IF THE PATIENT HAS STOPPED BREATHING
Quick action is required. You must get air into his lungs again
immediately or he may die. The best and simplest way of doing this is to
use mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration. Here is how to do it:
1. Place the patient on his back. Loosen his collar.
2. Open his mouth and use your fingers to remove any food or foreign
matter. If he has false teeth or removable dental bridges, take them
out.
3. Tilt the patient's head back so that his chin points upward. Lift his
lower jaw from beneath and behind so that it juts out. This will move
his tongue away from the back of his throat, so it does not block the
air passage to his lungs. Placing a pillow or something else under his
shoulders will help get his head into the right position. Some patients
will start breathing as soon as you take these steps, and no further
help is necessary.
4. Open your mouth as wide as possible, and place it tightly over the
patient's mouth, so his mouth is completely covered by yours. With one
hand, pinch his nostrils shut. With your other hand, hold his lower jaw
in a thrust-forward position and keep his head tilted back. With a baby
or small child, place your mouth over both his nose and mouth, making a
tight seal.
5. Blow a good lungful of air into an adult patient's mouth, continuing
to keep his head tilted back and his jaw jutting out so that the air
passage is kept open. (Air can be blown through an unconscious person's
teeth, even though they may be clenched tightly together.) Watch his
chest as you blow. When you see his chest rise, you will know that you
are getting air into his lungs.
6. Remove your mouth from the patient's mouth, and listen for him to
breathe out the air you breathed into him. You also may feel his breath
on your cheek and see his chest sink as he exhales.
7. Continue your breathing for the patient. If he is an adult, blow a
good breath into his mouth every 5 seconds, or 12 times a minute, and
listen for him to breathe it back out again. _Caution_: If the patient
is an infant or small child, blow _small puffs_ of air into him about 20
times a minute. You may rupture his lung if you blow in too much air at
one time. Watch his chest rise to make sure you are giving him the right
amount of air with each puff.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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