A New Evaluation of Emergency Methods for Artificial Ventilation

SUMMARY The effect of artificial ventilation by the exhaled-air methods (mouth-to-nose and mouth-to-mouth) and chest-pressure-arm-lift methods (Ho-ward-Thomsen, Silvester-Brosch, Holger Nielsen) was investigated in 11 anaesthetised apnoeic volunteers. The efficiency of these methods was assessed by the changes in arterial PO2, O2 saturation, PCO2 and pH. It could be shown that the exhaled-air methods ensured normal PO2 and O2 saturation in all cases, while the ventilation by the manual methods was insufficient. Even though normal oxygenation was achieved by the manual methods in some cases, others were extremely hypoventilated, with critically low O2 tensions. pH and CO2 tensions did not change appreciably. Because of the uncertain ventilatory effect of the manual methods, they should not be taught or used.