How can you determine if breaths given during CPR are effective?

To determine if breaths given during CPR are effective, observing the chest rise and fall is the key indicator. When rescue breaths are administered correctly, the air being delivered into the lungs causes the chest to visibly rise. This phenomenon indicates that the breath is entering the lungs effectively, which is essential for oxygenating the blood during cardiac arrest.

While improving heart rate and regaining consciousness can be associated with effective CPR, they are secondary indicators and do not provide immediate feedback on the breaths themselves. It can take time for a heart rate to improve, and consciousness may return after several rounds of CPR, but the immediate visual cue of chest rise and fall confirms that air is reaching the lungs. The presence or absence of foam from the mouth does not serve as a reliable measure of breath effectiveness either. Thus, noting the chest's movement is the most direct and useful assessment during CPR.