This guideline has been written to ensure that supported breathing is delivered in a safe, appropriate, and timely manner using a manual resuscitator bag in a home care setting. It is considered necessary in patients who are suffocated or are at risk of suffocation. Breathing via the manual resuscitation should be considered in short term victims (< 30 minutes), further than which the patients should be referred to emergency care facilities. Reinhardt et al. (2019) provide that 10 million US residents care for sick family and friends and are often caught up in circumstances where they are required to perform complex medical tasks. Therefore, equipment such as the Manual resuscitator at the disposal of a family caregiver could be of use during emergency ventilation challenges. To perform this procedure, you must be granted permission by a licensed respiratory care practitioner. The procedure should be performed in an open, well-ventilated area.
Manual Resuscitator Set Requirements
Patient valve
Reservoir valve
Squeeze bulb
Face mask
Pop-off valve (pressure limiting valve)
Test lungs (balloons)
Artificial airway
Intake valve
Oxygen tubing
Safety Guidelines
Read and understand all the instructions.
Use the resuscitator only when instructed by a qualified health professional.
Test the resuscitator freely before using it on a patient
The resuscitator can only be used for a single patient
Do not use it in toxic environments
Avoid the use of substitute components.
Comprehensive Guide
Assembly
Assemble the reservoir bag, squeeze bulb, and intake valve. Assess to confirm that all the connections are firm and airtight.
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Complete the connection by fastening the narrow end of the squeeze bulb to the patient valve, near the pop-off valve.
Connect a face mask to the patient valve.
Connect the oxygen tubing to a regulated oxygen supply (This step is optional)
Testing for Correct Functioning
Asses the integrity of the valve shutters, reservoir bag, and the oxygen tube.
Squeeze the resuscitator (midway at the squeeze bulb) to and observe if the valves are functioning properly. Repeat this step several times to confirm the durability.
Connect the patient valve to a test lung, squeeze and release the bulb several times. Check how the lungs fill and verify the ventilation capability.
Operation Instructions
Open the mouth of the unconscious patient and stretch the neck out to open the airway.
Insert an artificial airway to assist the ventilation.
Install the mask carefully onto the face of the patient, and spread it to cover the nose and the jaw. Hold the mask tightly to the face of the victim.
Use the thumb and the forefinger to hold the mask, and use the other hand to ensure that the mask is airtight on the victim’s face.
Squeeze the mask gently and observe the movement of the patient’s chest.
Repeat the process for 15 to 30 minutes
Potential Challenges
If the patient vomits or contaminates the valve:
Disassemble the components that have become contaminated
Clear the vomitus from the victim’s airways
Rinse the patient valve in sterile water, squeeze the bulb to expel the moisture and ensure the bulb is dry.
If the contaminant clears off, resume the ventilation process.
If the contaminant does not clear out, discard the resuscitator and start anew.
Notice for Use
The resuscitator should ensure sustained breathing; thus, if satisfactory ventilation is not realized using the resuscitator, then the user must immediately return to other ventilation techniques such as mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose ventilation ( World Health Organization, 2016) .
References
Reinhard, S. C., Young, H. M., Levine, C., Kelly, K., Choula, R. B., & Accius, J. (2019). Home Alone Revisited: FAMILY FAMILY CAREGIVERS PROVIDING COMPLEX CARE. Retrieved from https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2019/04/home-alone-revisited-family-caregivers-providing-complex-care.pdf
World Health Organization. (2016). WHO technical specifications of neonatal resuscitation devices.
