Bag-Valve-Mask Ventilation

Introduction

For Emergency Medical Service (EMS) workers to provide effective ventilation, they must work on controlling the airway (Navarro, 2015). This is the single most essential pre-hospital intervention. Although the practice sounds like an easier one this is not usually the case. Most practitioners attribute inadequate airway control as the primary source of preventable death within the pre-hospital surrounding. One of the dangerous skill that EMS workers should understand is the operative Bag-Valve-Mask Ventilation (BVM) (Navarro, 2015). It is sad that BVM ventilation that is conducted outside the hospital setting often lead to inadequate ventilation and this might be particularly dangerous for the intubated and non-intubated patients. One of the primary issues that are connected with ineffective ventilation is the incapability of EMS workers to offer effective mask seal using BVM (Navarro, 2015). Attempting to offer operative BVM by a single rescuer normally tilts the mask to a single side and this allows air leakage making it an ineffective. For effective Bag-valve-mask ventilation, it is evident that two rescuers are better than one.

It is quite essential to have two respondents as this allows one person to maintain a mask as the other person provides chest compressions. The two person technique while carrying out the Bag Valve Mask Ventilation allows for side to side comparisons that are made efficient by having two rescuers instead of having one. This offers consistent more successful ventilation as compared to that of the single BVM technique (Cairo 2014).

In this case, one of the rescuers delivers the recommended tidal volume through squeezing of the bag while the second rescuer uses both hands to offer successful mask seal on the patient’s face. With the use of two hands, it is easier to get a hold of good seal and be able to maintain it. The mask applied on the face is done using the thumb and the forefingers of each hand pressing down the mask in a C formation. Ventilation efficacy is improved through the holding of the seal and changing of the two handed EC clamp with the thenar renown grip. This grip is enhanced through the use of muscles at the bottom of the thumb to place downward pressure on the mask at the same time using the other four fingers on each hand to pull the jaw into the mask (Field 2012).

Therefore, it is important to note that this two rescuers BVM technique is mostly recommended by health practitioners and are comparable to those that are seen with endotracheal intubation. It should thus be considered for initial resuscitation in case of a cardiopulmonary arrest. It is very vital for practitioners to learn on the ways through which BVM is used effectively before one is required to practically use it on an actual victim (Cairo 2014).

Conclusion

Based on comparative analysis above it is demonstrated that a BVM approach that uses two different rescuers rather than one offers consistently more operative ventilation that a single person technique. In that, the two rescuer technique one rescuer can play part in delivering the required tidal volume by squeezing the bag generally while the other one utilizes both hands to offer an effective mask seal in the patient’s face which improves ventilation efficacy. Two rescuers are more effective in maintaining balance on both sides to ensure that no licking occurs

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