Choosing A Pocket CPR Mask

POSTED: September 14, 2010 at 5:10 pm

In today’s day and age, it is well-known that CPR is vital in emergency situations of respiratory distress. Having made progress from the traditional mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, today’s rescue workers perform CPR using CPR masks or barriers. CPR masks come in various shapes and sizes.

The most basic CPR equipment is the CPR shield, a low-cost barrier that is basically a flat covering for the face with air holes for the nose and mouth. The shield is mainly used in CPR practice procedures to protect trainees from exchanging germs on a mannequin that is used multiple times.

The most common CPR mask is also known as a pocket face mask. It is kept in a pouch or plastic case, and is found in all basic first aid kits. Anyone with any manner of CPR training, including lifeguards etc. will have a CPR mask on hand. The CPR mask ensures safety by having a one-way filter valve in place. When the person giving breaths breathes into the mouth of the patient the one way filter valve prevents any mucus, blood, or vomit from going back into the resuscitator’s mouth. When used with the correct technique, the mask forms a seal around the victim’s airway so that breaths go straight in. Some are also equipped with elastics to go around the victim’s head. This ensures that the mask stays in place during the CPR process. The classic CPR mask is inflated to fit around the victim’s airway, but some are made of a thin plastic that folds up, and can be worn on a keychain.

Some masks come with a built-in oxygen intake tube. This tube allows for oxygen to be taken from the atmosphere and delivered to the patient. The use of a built-in oxygen intake tube can be very helpful because it can alleviate some of the strain and stress on the person who gives rescue breaths during CPR. CPR procedures require a great deal of physical work during a stressful situation, which can compromise the effectiveness of the rescue.

Yet another type of CPR mask is the bag valve mask. This CPR mask requires the use of two hands to operate. One hand is used to seal the mask over the mouth while the other hand squeezes air from the bag into the mouth of the patient. Used mostly when two rescue workers are performing CPR together, the bag valve mask requires almost no work on the part of the rescue worker.

CPR masks can be purchased online or in person from health supply retailers. One thing to consider when purchasing a CPR mask is that the material that it is made up of is latex-free. This is important not just for the resuscitator, but for patients as well, because so many people are now known to have latex allergies, and a rescuer would not want to induce an allergic reaction while performing CPR.