What Is Bag Valve Mask Ventilation

Bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation is an essential emergency skill. This basic airway management technique allows for oxygenation and ventilation of patients until a more definitive airway can be established and in cases where endotracheal intubation or other definitive control of the airway is not possible.

What is a bag valve mask used for?

Bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation is the standard method for rapidly providing rescue ventilation to patients with apnea or severe ventilatory failure.

Is a bag valve mask positive pressure ventilation?

A bag valve mask (BVM), sometimes known by the proprietary name Ambu bag or generically as a manual resuscitator or “self-inflating bag”, is a hand-held device commonly used to provide positive pressure ventilation to patients who are not breathing or not breathing adequately.