Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
LESSON 3: INITIATE RESCUE BREATHING ON AN ADULT
3-1
3-1. REMOVE CASUALTY FROM ANY IMMEDIATE DANGER
If you see a possible casualty, you must evaluate the person to determine if rescue breathing should be initiated. Before you begin the evaluation procedure, however, evaluate your surroundings to determine the appropriate care for those surroundings. If you are in the "care under fire" phase of care, then opening the airway and controlling bleeding are your primary concerns; rescue breathing will not be initiated at this time. If other danger exists in the non-tactical environment, the hazards must be assessed for threat to life. If a major life threat exists, then moving the patient prior to further evaluation and treatment would be necessary. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is not considered an appropriate treatment under most battlefield conditions because most of these patients will be traumatized in manner that would not support life without immediate and extensive surgery.
NOTE: The steps for evaluating a casualty and initiating rescue breathing are the same as for initiating cardiopulmonary resuscitation. These are also the same steps normally used to evaluate any casualty.
