Bag Valve Mask

Before these masks were devised, people who were suffering from medical emergencies due to which they could not breathe had mouth to mouth resuscitation as their only saving option.

However, there are many problems associated with mouth to mouth resuscitation, referred to by some as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. Someone must have an inclination and the knowledge to do it. Even after it is administered, it is not a suitable method to set the patient’s lungs working again, because the method may not be efficiently administered.

There’s also the limitation on part of the person who administers this therapy, because they cannot carry on this technique for a long period of time.

There are many benefits of using the bag valve mask. Firstly, these are highly effective methods of administering oxygen in the bodies of patients who are incapable of breathing themselves. The process can be kept on for long periods of time, until the patient is out of danger.

Also, because of the presence of the bag valve mask, it is possible to begin a rescue operation for the patient right from the time they are under the care of the ambulance operators, which means they could be in a more stable condition by the time they reach the hospital. The families of people who can develop emergency medical conditions are advised to have bag valve masks at home and learn how to use them so that some of the dangers can be mitigated. 

The mechanism of the bag valve mask is actually quite simple. There is a bag connected to a tank from where the oxygen is drawn into the bag. There is also a valve attached which makes sure that the patient only gets fresh air drawn from the tank for respiration and that the exhaled air is given out. This ensures a continuous healthy supply of air for the patient.  

In order to pump the air into the body of the patient, the person who administers the therapy is required to pump the bag in conjunction with the breathing of the person. Actually, this is all that the person administering the therapy is supposed to do.

The designs of the bag valve masks are kept very simple and rudimentary so that anyone can use them without much problem. They are so simple, that the price to produce them is relatively inexpensive, and there are many disposable bag valve mask options available in the marketplace.

Even in hospitals, a bag valve mask is very essential equipment. They are a component on crash carts, which are carts that carry the things that a patient would need on an emergency basis. However, the staff requires minimal training for using these equipments, mainly because they are so simple and also because of the fact that there are very few things that can go wrong in using them.