What is a common sign of an inadequate mask seal during ventilation?

• A. Poor chest rise or air leaking around the mask with a hissing sound.
• B. Clear, even chest rise with no leaks.
• C. Loud snoring.
• D. Pulse oximeter reading improves.

Answer: (A)

Ensuring a tight mask seal is essential to effective bag-valve mask ventilation. When the seal is inadequate, air leaks around the mask, often with a hissing sound, and the patient’s chest shows poor rise because not enough air is entering the lungs. A good seal, by contrast, delivers the breath into the lungs, resulting in clear, adequate chest rise and little or no leak noise. A loud snoring sound usually points to airway obstruction from soft tissues rather than a poor seal around the mask. If the pulse oximeter reading improves, that indicates better oxygenation from ventilation, but it doesn’t by itself diagnose mask-seal quality.