Different Rescue Breathing Methods

Mouth to Mouth

This is where the rescuers mouth fully covers the casualty’s mouth.

Take a breath, open your mouth as widely as possible and place it over the person’s slightly open mouth. While maintaining an open airway, pinch the nostrils (or seal nostrils with rescuer’s cheek) and blow to inflate the person’s lungs.

Mouth to Nose

The mouth to nose method may be used:

• Where the rescuer chooses to do so
• Where the person’s jaws are tightly clenched
• When resuscitating infants and small children

The technique for mouth to nose is the same as for mouth to mouth except for sealing the airway.

• Close the mouth with the hand supporting the jaw and push the lips together with the thumb
• Take a breath and place your widely opened mouth over the person’s nose (or mouth and nose in infants) and blow to inflate the lungs.

Mouth to Mask

Mouth to mask resuscitation is a method of rescue breathing which avoids mouth-to-mouth contact by using a resuscitation mask. Rescuers should take appropriate safety precautions when feasible and when resources are available to do so, especially if a person is known to have a serious infection.

• Maintain head tilt and chin lift
• Place the narrow end of the mask on the bridge of the nose and apply the mask firmly to the face
• Inflate the lungs by blowing through the mouthpiece of the mask with sufficient volume and force to achieve chest movement

Mouth to Neck Stoma

A person with a laryngectomy has had the larynx (voice box) removed and breathes through a hole in the front of their neck (stoma). A stoma will be more obvious when the person is on their back for rescue breathing and the head is put into backward tilt.

The rescuer should place their mouth over the stoma and perform rescue breathing as described above.