Protection during Resuscitation

When performing CPR there is a range of equipment available to provide a layer of protection between the rescuer and the casualty.
These can stop fluids passing between you when performing rescue breaths, and also stop things like pathogens passing between you.
Some varieties come already in this dome shape, so they're ready to use.
Some come with a strap that you can place around the casualties head to help you hold it in place. And these are particularly useful if you are performing CPR on your own.
Some have a double valve system for extra protection. And these ones often fit on larger children as well as adults.
And for smaller children and for infants we have paediatric pocket masks. You can see that's quite a different shape. So they are designed to fit on a baby or a small child's face.
You can also use a face shield.
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So here we have an adult pocket mask, and you can see that it's a triangular shape.
This pointed portion up the top here is what's going to go over the casualty's nose, and the flat bottom part is going to go between the chin and the lower lip.
Sometimes people will place it down over their chin, but that's not going to create a correct seal. So the lower flat part of the triangle needs to go between the chin and the lower lip.
Sometimes there is a concern that the mask is going to damage the casualty's eyes, but you don't need to be worried about that because it is quite soft and flexible. So even though part of the mask is going to cover their eyes, it isn't going to cause any harm.
So once you have the mask in place, you're going to use your hands in a C-shape to create the seal.
One hand is going to go around the bottom of the mask, the other hand is going to go around the top of the mask.
Now don't forget to do a chin lift and a head tilt to open up that airway, otherwise the air isn't going to go into their lungs. So you'll know you've created a correct seal when you can actually see their chest rise. And once you've done your two rescue breaths, you then continue on with your compressions.
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While you can use an adult pocket mask on a child with a larger face, it will not work on an infant. You can see here that this mask is covering their entire face. You're not going to be able to get an effective seal in this case.
So what you need to use is actually a paediatric pocket mask.
You can see here it isn't a triangular shape, so there's no particular direction that you need to place this on their face. But you do still need to ensure that this rim here is going between their chin and lower lip as best you can.
So when you place this on their face, you need to keep their head in the neutral position to perform the CPR, and you're pressing down firmly but gently.
And the procedure is the same as with an adult: you do your 2 rescue breaths and your 30 compressions.
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As an alternative to a pocket mask, you can use a face shield.
Now these can come in your first aid kit. You can also get them folded up into a tiny little square that's designed as a keychain, so you can carry them around with you at all times.
Now you can see this is a plastic sheet, it's quite thick. And in the middle here we have a fabric filter shield. This is the portion that you need to place over the casualty's nose and mouth.
So simply place it over like this. You need to pinch the casualty's nose, as you would for normal CPR, perform your head tilt and chin lift, and then you're breathing through the fabric portion there.
If you're finding you're not getting any rise in their chest, it's quite possible that this has slipped out of place and you're actually covering their mouth with the plastic instead of the fabric.
So you need to make sure the fabric is over their mouth before you start performing the rescue breaths.
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