Pocket Mask

Pocket Mask

A pocket mask, also known as a pocket face mask or CPR mask, serves as a tool for safely administering rescue breaths during instances of cardiac or respiratory arrest.

Compact and portable, the pocket mask allows emergency responders to carry it with ease. When delivering air to the patient, the emergency responder exhales through a one-way filter valve, ensuring protection from the patient's potentially infectious bodily fluids like vomit or blood. Modern pocket masks feature either an integrated one-way valve or a detachable, disposable filter for this purpose.

Some masks are equipped with an oxygen intake tube, enabling the administration of 50-60% oxygen. Even without connection to an external oxygen source, exhaled air from the provider can supply up to 16% oxygen, sufficient for sustaining life, considering Earth's atmosphere contains approximately 21% oxygen.

Although not as efficient as a bag valve mask, the pocket mask offers advantages, particularly when only one rescuer is present. Its compact size facilitates easier portability compared to the bulkier bag valve mask. Additionally, unlike the bag valve mask, which necessitates two-handed operation (one for sealing and the other for squeezing the bag), the pocket mask allows the rescuer to keep both hands on the patient's head. This positioning ensures a superior seal on the patient's face and enables the responder to perform a jaw thrust maneuver on patients suspected of spinal injury.