- Written By: Jacob Queen
- Edited By: Jenn Walker
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2003-2012 Conjecture Corporation
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is a first aid procedure used on people when they stop breathing. The basic idea behind the technique is to breathe in place of an incapacitated person by exhaling air into their lungs forcibly. It was first invented in the late 1950s, and has become a standard part of the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) procedure, which also includes chest compression. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is used in a wide variety of situations, including drowning accidents and cases of cardiac arrest.
When performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the first step is generally to check and make sure the person’s airway isn’t blocked. This is normally done by rolling the individual onto his belly and forcing the mouth open to check inside for any obstacles. If nothing is found, the person is then rolled onto his back, and his head is gently tilted back. The person’s nose is then pinched, and his mouth is opened. The person administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is then required to take a deep breath, seal his lips around the subjects, and exhale for about two seconds.
Under normal circumstances, the process is repeated every five seconds or so. After each exhalation, it is generally advised for the person administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to turn the head to the side, and listen for an exhalation from the subject. The exact procedure varies somewhat depending on the age and condition of the subject. For example, when performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on an infant, the exhalation is supposed to be significantly less forceful, and only for approximately one second.
Some doctors have shied away from recommending mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on cardiac arrest victims, except in the case of children. Hands only CPR with chest compression methods is sometimes thought to be more effective by itself in those situations. The reason for this is that most cardiac arrest patients still have oxygen in their bloodstream, so getting the heart started again is a more important priority than getting oxygen into the lungs. For children with cardiac arrest, this is not always the case, which is the primary reason for the exception.
James Elam and Peter Safar are the people generally credited as the inventors of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Elam was the main creator of the mouth-to-mouth procedure, but Safar was instrumental in helping to standardize the basic method used, and he also helped incorporate mouth-to-mouth resuscitation into the standard CPR protocols. A pamphlet was published in 1959, which outlined the basics of performing the procedure and helped popularize the technique in the late 1950s.
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andee
Post 5 |
When I worked as a lifeguard in the summer, knowing how to perform CPR was a requirement for the job. Every year we would go through a training class or take a refresher course.
I am so thankful that I never had to use this on someone. I think that in an emergency situation where you were required to use mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and/or chest compressions, that your training would kick in and you would know exactly what to do. |
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LisaLou
Post 4 |
My husband has to keep up with his CPR training for his job. Now they are saying that in most cases, using chest compressions is adequate when giving CPR to someone and that you don't have to use mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
I think it is valuable for everybody to know how to give CPR. You never know when you are going to be a situation where you might need to use it to save someone's life.
Thinking about giving someone mouth-to-mouth resuscitation can be scary. You would wonder if you were doing it right and many might be put off by the mouth-to-mouth procedure.
I am sure that it helped save the lives of many people, but also think that a lot of people will be more willing to learn CPR if they know that only chest compressions are required.
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tigers88
Post 3 |
I once successfully brought someone back to life using CPR. I was walking next to a lake and I saw someone floating face down in the water. I ran into the water and pulled them out. They still had color and heat in their skin so I knew they must still be alive.
I have never been trained in CPR but I have seen enough medical dramas and TLC to have a basic understanding of what to do. I was super nervous but I decided to just go for it, I couldn't see any other option. After about a minute and a half the guy coughed up a bunch of water and started breathing again.
I wondered how he had ended up out there with no one else around and he said that he had been thrown from a boat and that no one had noticed. I'm not sure which part of the story is crazier, his part or mine. |
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gravois
Post 2 |
I bet a lot of us have had the unusual experience of breathing into the mouth of a CPR dummy. I have had to do this several times in my life and it never gets easier or less weird.
Maybe I am extra sensitive to this but I was always put off by breathing into the mouth of a mannequin. There is also something very strange about trying to breathe life back into something that you know is dead, that was never even alive.
I think my feelings stem from an experience I had at my very first CPR class in middle school. The instructor asked me to carry the dummy and I could feel its thick plastic skin and its big hollow chest under my hands. I was surprisingly grossed out by it. That has always stayed in my head and now I get a little squeamish around the CPR dummy. |
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jonrss
Post 1 |
I have heard a number of commercials on the radio lately about performing hands only CPR. And I thought that I saw a news report saying that a major medical association is now recommending that the average individual not attempt mouth to mouth, only use their hands. This leads me to believe that mouth to mouth has been discredited for some reason. Does anyone know more about this story? Which is the right method? I hope that I never have to use either but its good to be prepared. |
