All professional rescuers and healthcare workers use pocket masks during CPR.
Mouth to mouth resuscitation dates back to 1704. The American Heart Association estimates that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can double or triple a victim's chance of survival.
Fear
Many bystanders hesitate to administer CPR because of the fear of infectious disease transmission during mouth to mouth resuscitation. A 2006 study published in "Pre-Hospital and Disaster Medicine" confirms this suspicion. Fortunately, there is a variety of personal protective equipment (PPE) on the market to prevent disease transmission during the administration of CPR.
Masks
One-way valve pocket masks are a form of PPE used in CPR. These masks have a valve and filter that allows the air to go through to the victim, but does not allow fluids from the victim to pass back to the rescuer.
Incidence
The incidence of disease transmission during CPR is low. For a disease to be transmitted, the germs must have a means into the body, the immune system must be weak and the amount of germs must be significant. If you eliminate any one of these things, the transmission cannot occur. A pocket mask places a barrier between you and a victim to block the route for germs to enter your body.
Tags: disease transmission, disease transmission during, transmission during, germs must, mouth resuscitation, pocket masks