When providing positive-pressure ventilation, what is an important factor to check for effectiveness?

When providing positive-pressure ventilation, checking for chest rise with each breath is crucial because it indicates that air is entering the lungs effectively. Observing the chest rise helps ensure that each breath delivered is reaching the airway and inflating the lungs. This physical response is a direct sign that the ventilation is working as intended and that the patient is receiving adequate oxygen.

Additionally, while other factors, such as skin color, heart rate, and the victim's responsiveness, can provide valuable information about the patient’s overall condition, they are not as immediate or direct indicators of the effectiveness of the positive-pressure ventilation technique itself. For instance, a change in skin color can reflect oxygenation status but does not specifically confirm that the air is being adequately delivered to the lungs during ventilation. Monitoring the patient's chest rise is consistently taught in BLS training as a critical component of verifying proper ventilation.