BLS: Airway Management

Until an advanced airway is inserted, the rescue team should use mouth-to-mouth, mouth-to-mask, or bag-mask ventilation. An advanced airway (supraglottic airway, laryngeal mask airway, or endotracheal tube) provides a more stable way of providing breaths and should, therefore, be inserted as early as possible in a resuscitation effort. Once an advanced airway is in place, the compression to breath ratio should be adjusted as noted below (Table 1).

The compression rate for all persons is always 100-120 per minute.

COMPRESSION TO BREATH RATIONO ADVANCED AIRWAYADVANCED AIRWAY
Adult30 compressions followed by two breathsOne breath every 6
seconds without pauses in compressions
Child/Infant30 compressions followed by two breaths for one rescuer
15 compressions followed by two breaths for two rescuer
One breath every 6 seconds without pauses in compressions
One breath every 2-3 seconds (20-30 breaths per minute)
Table 1