Checking Breathing and Pulse : Before attempting to resuscitate a casualty, it is essential that you check his/her breathing rate and pulse. You can cause problems if you attempt to resuscitate someone who is still breathing. Also, there is little point in spending a lot of time trying to restore a casualty's breathing if you don't continually check that the victim's heart is beating.
(1) Breathing : Breathing, particularly for an unconscious person, can sometimes be very shallow. Hence, it is difficult to discover whether someone is breathing or not simply by observing the rise and fall of their chest. Either of the following methods is suitable:
(a) Wet your lips and place them near to the casualty's mouth or nose.
When the casualty breathes out, your lips will cool.
(b) Hold a cold piece of glass mirror, or a highly polished surface close to the casualty's mouth or nose. When the casualty breathes out, a small amount of condensation should form on the polished surface. This method is least satisfactory.
(2) Pulse : For an unskilled person, the wrist is not the best place to feel the pulse. A weak pulse is difficult to detect and in these cases, it is easy to detect your pulse in your fingers, mistaking it for the casualty's. A suitable method is to turn the casualty's head and feel the casualty's pulse below the comer of his/her jaw. Four separate checks lasting 15 seconds each will give you the best indication.