In many cases, cardiac arrest is preceded by respiratory arrest. Therefore, it is important to be able to recognize respiratory issues in order to take steps to prevent cardiac arrest.

When a person of any age has a pulse but is not breathing (or is not breathing well), immediately open the airway using the head-tilt/chin-lift maneuver and begin rescue breathing. See Table2 for details on rescue breathing.

Age Group	How Often	Breaths per Minute	Duration	Evaluation
Adult	Every 6 seconds	10 to 12 breaths per minute	Each breath should last one second	Check for chest rise and breathing; Check pulse and begin CPR if necessary
Child/Infant	One rescuer: Every 6 seconds Two rescuers: Every 2 to 3 seconds	One rescuer: 10 to 12 breaths per minute Two rescuers: 20 to 30 breaths per minute	Each breath should last one second

Table 2