Pocket Mask - Advanced
What we are going to look at now is the use
of the bag valve mask to ventilate the patient's lungs, should they be breathing inadequately.
We would always try and use an airway adjunct to enable us to get good ventilation. Typical
bag valve mask has a chamber which holds approximately 1,200 millilitres of air. And this is important
to remember that when we are ventilating a patient, a normal tidal volume is only about
500. An adequate squeeze of the bag would just be to expel half of the amount of air.
And actually, when you are ventilating a patient, try to think about how we breathe normally.
We do not suddenly take a gasp, we breathe gently and exhale slowly. And this, we should
replicate when we are ventilating our patient's lungs. Failure to ventilate in a similar way
to how we breathe would result in the epiglottis potentially closing and diverting air down
into the stomach. And when the stomach is full, it will empty and the contents will
come up into the patient's mouth causing us further problems. Always try and replicate
the way that we breathe when ventilating a patient. The mask should have an adequate amount of
air in so that it will form a seal around the patient's face. And a really good technique
for achieving a seal, first time every time, is to hold your finger and thumb in a "C"
shape over the mask, like so, keeping these three fingers free. And then, this part, the
pointy part of the mask, goes over the bridge of the nose and then roll the mask down onto
the patient's face, securing it with those three fingers over the hard bone of the mandible.
Tilt the head back and we should... And a normal respiratory rate or ventilatory rate
for an adult would be approximately once every five or six seconds... And we can see a rise
and fall of the chest there, which confirms air is going in and out of the lungs.
Enhancing CPR Effectiveness with a Pocket Mask and Oxygen
Introduction
Improving CPR Efficiency Through Proper Ventilation
Utilizing a Pocket Mask
Simple Steps to Enhance CPR
- Accessibility: Ensuring the availability of pocket masks in hospital wards and crash trolleys.
- Ease of Use: The straightforward and user-friendly nature of pocket masks.
- Deployment: Retrieving the mask from its heart-shaped container, typically in a folded position.
- Proper Mask Placement: Positioning the mask with the pointy end over the patient's nose, then rolling it down to cover the mouth.
- Optimal Ventilation: Utilizing both hands to tilt the patient's head back and administer two inflations.
Enhancing CPR Efficiency
Maximizing CPR Effectiveness Through Oxygen Connection
- Oxygen Supply: Connecting the pocket mask to an oxygen supply for improved ventilation.
- Oxygen Content: Understanding that normal exhalation contains about 16% oxygen.
- Increased Oxygen: Elevating oxygen content closer to 100% by connecting to a 100% oxygen supply.
- Proper Oxygen Flow: Setting the oxygen supply at 15 litres per minute for optimal results.