Anson Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) Practice Test

Providing breaths for someone who isn’t breathing requires delivering positive pressure ventilation. The bag-mask device is designed for this: it combines a face mask with a squeezable bag and an oxygen reservoir. When you compress the bag, air is pushed into the lungs under positive pressure, and the reservoir lets you deliver larger breaths with higher oxygen concentration if attached to oxygen. This setup gives you reliable tidal volumes and better chest rise, which are essential for effective ventilation during resuscitation. A pocket mask can deliver breaths but lacks the reservoir, making consistent volumes harder and less efficient, especially in adults or longer CPR. An oxygen mask and a nasal cannula deliver oxygen but do not provide breaths themselves, so they don’t ventilate a non-breathing victim.