Which is a sign that a rescue breath has been effective?

An effective rescue breath can be identified by the rise of the victim’s chest. When you provide rescue breaths, the goal is to inflate the lungs with air, which causes the chest to visibly rise. This indicates that air is entering the lungs and that the breath is reaching the intended destination.

The other options do not serve as reliable indicators of the effectiveness of rescue breaths. For example, the victim waking up does not occur immediately after rescue breaths; it might take time or may not happen at all if the situation is severe. Complaints of pain do not indicate anything about the effectiveness of the breaths either; instead, they could signal other issues unrelated to breathing. Lastly, if the victim stops breathing completely, this would suggest a critical situation rather than a sign of effective ventilation; an effective breath aims to restore or improve the breathing pattern rather than observe cessation. Therefore, the rise of the chest is the clear sign that the rescue breath has been effective.