d. Remove Any Visible Foreign Matter. If you see any foreign matter in the
infant's mouth or throat, remove the obstruction with a finger sweep (paragraph 5-6c).
Do not perform a blind finger sweep since this action could force the obstruction deeper
into the infant's throat.
e. Check for Breathing. Tilt the infant's head back slightly and lift the infant's
chin to open the airway. Look, listen, and feel for signs of breathing (chest or abdomen
rising and falling, sounds of breathing, exhaled air blowing on cheek).
(1) If spontaneous breathing occurs, maintain the airway and check for
other injuries.
(2)
If spontaneous breathing does not occur, attempt to administer
ventilations.
f. Administer Two Ventilations. If the infant is not breathing on his own,
administer two ventilations using the mouth-to-mouth-and-nose method. Even if the
obstruction has not been removed, your efforts may have caused it to shift enough so
rescue breathing can now be administered.
(1) Maintain the airway by lifting the infant's chin with the free hand. Do not
hyperextend the neck.
(2) Take a breath. (Do not take a deep breath since you will not need to
blow much air into the infant's smaller lungs.)
(3) Place your mouth over the infant's mouth and nose. Make sure that
your mouth forms an airtight seal so that air will not escape when you blow air into his
mouth and nose.
(4) Blow a small puff of air (only enough to make the chest rise) into the
infant's mouth and nose. Observe the chest out of the corner of your eye as you
administer the breath.
(5) After blowing into the infant's mouth and nose, break the seal over his
face and allow air to escape. His chest should fall somewhat as air escapes after you
break the seal. You may be able to hear or feel the exhaled breath.
(6) Take another breath, seal your mouth over the infant's mouth and nose
again, and administer a second puff of air. It should take 3 to 5 seconds to administer
both breaths.
MD0532
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