Assessment

Airway – We begin our assessment by opening the victim’s airway. This is done with the head tilt/chin lift. Place your hand on the victim’s forehead and tilt it back while gently lifting the victim’s chin with 2 fingers from your other hand. While you can’t swallow your tongue, while unconscious it can fall to the back of the mouth and block the victim’s airway. Sometimes the head tilt/chin lift will cause spontaneous respirations.

Breathing – To check for adequate breathing, maintain the victim’s airway while Looking, Listening and Feeling for signs of respirations. Look at the victim’s chest. You should see the chest rise and the ribcage expand. Listen and Feel with your ear close to the victim’s mouth. Check for a full 5 seconds. The adult victim should breathe at least once every 5 seconds. If your victim does not breathe at least once every 5 seconds then provide 2 rescue breaths. Cover the victim’s mouth with your mouth, pinch the nose and breathe slowly. The breaths should take 1 ½ - 2 seconds. Provide 2 rescue breaths while watching for the chest to rise with each breath. The volume of air is just enough to make the chest rise.

Circulation – To check for signs of circulation, find the carotid artery and check for a pulse for a full 10 seconds.