how can cpr bring people back to life if you breathing in carbon dioxide into there lungs?

Question

you need oxygen to breathe so how can carbon dioxide be used to make someone breathe again

Answer 1

Here's my theory on this. When giving CPR, you are blowing into the victim's lungs, thereby inflating them. Sure there may be carbon dioxide, but believe it or not, there is also oxygen going in as well. The act of inflating the lungs and having them to expell the "forced in" air, triggers the lungs to resume on their own. And pressing down on the chest, massages the heart into action. So in essence CPR is jump starting an inert body.

Answer 2

Air is a mixture of about 78% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, .03% carbon dioxide, and a bunch of other stuff.

When we breath out, the mix still has about 15% oxygen, which is plenty to save a life.

By using a Bag Valve Mask (those bags you see in TV shows), we use the 20% in the air for the victim. When we use oxygen systems, we deliver 50-100% oxygen, depending on how it is set.

Answer 3

You are breathing room air and carbon dioxide into their lungs. They are getting some O2, but it is meant only to sustain them until they can put supplemental O2 on by nasal cannula, or until they start breathing on their own.

Answer 4

Increased C02 intensifies the need to bring in more 02.. actually stimulates breathing!

Answer 5

we breathe in 21% and exhale 16%.
16% is better than 0%

Answer 6

air is 78% nitrogen 21% O2.

When you exhale you still have ~ 18% O2 left in that air.