How do you check for breathing?

• A. Look at the chest, listen and feel for air coming out of the mouth
• B. Listen for air from the nose only
• C. Watch for abdomen movement only
• D. Count breaths for sixty seconds

Answer: (A)

In an emergency you check for breathing by quickly using look, listen, and feel. You look for chest rise, listen for breath sounds, and feel for air at the mouth or nose. This combination gives the clearest indication whether the person is truly breathing. The option that says to look at the chest, listen, and feel for air coming from the mouth fits this approach and is the best because it uses multiple cues in a short time. Relying only on listening from the nose misses breaths that come through the mouth or are very shallow. Watching abdomen movement alone can miss breathing patterns where the chest moves but the abdomen does not, or vice versa. Counting breaths for a full sixty seconds is unnecessary and too slow in an emergency; you should decide within about 5–10 seconds. If there’s no breathing or only gasping, begin CPR and call for help.