If after establishing an airway a patient is not breathing, what is your next action?

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Multiple Choice

If after establishing an airway a patient is not breathing, what is your next action?

When an airway is in place and the patient is not breathing, the next action is to provide rescue breaths with a bag-valve-mask while maintaining inline stabilization. This delivers oxygen and facilitates ventilation while protecting the spine in a trauma patient. Use a two-person technique for a good seal and deliver about 10–12 breaths per minute (one every 5–6 seconds) with visible chest rise, avoiding excessive ventilation. Endotracheal intubation is an advanced step and is not the immediate action if you can ventilate effectively with a BVM. Chest compressions are reserved for when there is no pulse. Elevating the head and simply assessing breathing does not address the immediate need for ventilation once breathing has stopped.

When an airway is in place and the patient is not breathing, the next action is to provide rescue breaths with a bag-valve-mask while maintaining inline stabilization. This delivers oxygen and facilitates ventilation while protecting the spine in a trauma patient. Use a two-person technique for a good seal and deliver about 10–12 breaths per minute (one every 5–6 seconds) with visible chest rise, avoiding excessive ventilation. Endotracheal intubation is an advanced step and is not the immediate action if you can ventilate effectively with a BVM. Chest compressions are reserved for when there is no pulse. Elevating the head and simply assessing breathing does not address the immediate need for ventilation once breathing has stopped.

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