When ventilating a patient, you should deliver breaths slowly over one second.

• A. Two seconds
• B. Half a second
• C. One second
• D. Three seconds

Answer: (C)

Delivering each breath over about one second provides a controlled, adequate tidal volume while reducing the risk of too-high airway pressures and gastric inflation. A one-second inspiratory time helps the lungs fill enough to produce visible chest rise, yet allows passive exhalation between breaths so air isn’t trapped. If you push breaths in too slowly, the tidal volume may be insufficient and ventilation becomes ineffective. If you push them in too quickly, peak pressures can spike and you increase the chance of gastric inflation and lung injury. So, aiming for roughly one second per breath balances effective ventilation with safety.