What should you ensure when performing rescue breaths on small children?

When performing rescue breaths on small children, it is crucial to achieve a breath duration of 1 second. This duration is recommended to ensure that the breaths are delivered effectively and allow for adequate chest rise, which indicates that the breath is being adequately received by the child's lungs.

A 1-second breath duration also aligns with the guidelines for ventilation rates in pediatric advanced life support, which prioritize providing effective breaths that are neither too rapid nor too slow. This timing allows the child to have enough time to exhale before the next breath is administered, ensuring that the breaths do not become too forceful or create excessive pressure in the lungs, which can lead to complications like barotrauma.

On the other hand, durations shorter than 1 second may not provide sufficient time for the air to enter the lungs, potentially resulting in inadequate ventilation. Conversely, a duration longer than 1 second could impede the ventilation cycle, leading to insufficient breaths over time. Therefore, maintaining a 1-second duration strikes an optimal balance for effective rescue breathing in small children.