Final answer:
Rescue breathing for unresponsive infants involves gentle breaths that make the chest rise, while for older children, it involves ensuring an open airway and administering breaths followed by chest compressions. CPR must be initiated quickly, especially in drowning cases where victims are removed from cold water.
Step-by-step explanation:
Rescue breathing for an unresponsive infant or child must be performed carefully, following specific rules to ensure the safety and recovery of the individual.
Unresponsive Infant Rescue Breathing
For infants under one year, if they are not breathing after you have checked for responsiveness and called emergency services, begin by giving gentle breaths. Cover the infant’s nose and mouth with your mouth and give two gentle breaths, each one lasting about a second. This should cause the chest to rise. After delivering breaths, proceed to CPR if the infant is still not breathing on their own.
Unresponsive Child Rescue Breathing
For children over one year, after ensuring the airway is open, give two breaths that make the chest rise, followed by chest compressions if the child does not respond or breathe normally. Use the heel of one hand for chest compressions for a smaller child, or two hands for an older child, and compress the chest about 2 inches deep at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute.
It is essential to remember that effective and prompt rescue breathing can make a significant difference, especially in cases where the airway is free from obstructions, such as water. In cold water drowning scenarios, the rescuer should initiate CPR as soon as the victim is removed from water as there could still be a chance of recovery due to the protective effects of the cold.