This invention relates to a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation mask comprising a foil of flexible synthetic plastics or like material, a portion of which is provided with a stiffened part whose centre contains an opening covered by an air-permeable material.

It is an object of the present invention to improve such a mask disclosed in German Offenlegungsschrift 2742213.

To that effect, the mask is characterized in that the stiffened portion has the size of a credit card around which the remaining portion can be pleated or folded easily. This allows the mask to be carried conveniently and be added to the ordinary personal papers that are conventional or necessary in modern society.

By impregnating the air-permeable portion with a scent, the use of the mask for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation can be promoted in a simple manner.

The mask is made preferably of non-transparent material in surgical green but may also be made in red, so that when the victim of an accident has to be resuscitated, the blood mostly present is not conspicuous, or less so. Covering the entire face, will considerably abate the "fear" to administer aid. Moreover, direct contact with blood is prevented.

In a further elaboration of the present invention, the foil may be provided circumferentially with an elastic edge, e.g. in the form of a separate piece of elastic, and the gauzy material is made in such a manner that air will flow more

easily from the outside inwards than the other way round. As a result, it is not only possible to put the mask and hence the air-permeable portion on the victim's head in a more or less fixed position, but it is moreover achieved that the mask can also serve to remedy hyperventilation problems: because the mask substantially seals over the face, the exhalation of too much air or nitrogen, producing the oppressed feeling in the event of hyperventilation, is prevented. In a further embodiment of the invention, the mask is provided with transparent eye holes, so that the patient's eyes may be observed during the treatment.

In this simple manner, there is provided a life-saving aid that is easily carried along and can be used for both mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and to remedy hyperventilation symptoms.

One embodiment of the mask according to the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a mask according to the present invention worn on a head illustrated in stylized fashion;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows on a reduced scale the mask according to Figs. 1 and 2 in folded condition; and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

As shown in the drawings, a mask is provided with a flexible foil 1 of synthetic plastics material wherein, at the location of the mouth of a head 2 shown in dash-dotted lines, there is provided a credit card-like, stiffened portion 3. The centre of stiffened portion 3 is provided with a hole 4 filled with a filler 7 covered on either side by a cover 5 of synthetic plastics material having apertures 8 therein. A suitable filter material is the material marketed by the company of Carl Freudenberg at einheim, BRD, under the name of Viledon Micro donfilter, type LRS 306.

Cover 5 can be made of synthetic plastics material, fine muslin, mull, gauze or the like: on the one hand a good air- permeability is required and on the other minimal contact between the victim and the donor. In order to render this aid "more agreable", said filter can be prepared with a scent, e.g. menthol, so that the donor is not troubled, or hardly so, by a possible unpleasant odour from the victim.

In this connection, it is observed that the foil can be coloured, so as to render any blood present on the victim inconspicuous, e.g. surgical green or blood red. In order that the victim's eyes may be observed, a transparent eye hole 9 is provided in the mask.

In order that the mask may also be used in the event the victim is suffering from hyperventilation, foil 1 may be provided with an elastic circumferential edge 6, so that the air or nitrogen exhaled by the victim remains underneath the

mask, thereby preventing over—exhalation of air or nitrogen, producing the oppressed feeling or hyperventilation.

The illustration of the mask in folded condition in Fig. 3 appears to be self-explanatory. Possibly, the unit may be stored in a case carrying the bearer's personal data, such as name, address, blood group etc.

As noted above, the gauzy portion 5 should be made in such a manner that air or oxygen can be easily supplied therethrough to the victim, but on the other hand, this gauzy- portion should be made in such a manner that the air cannot be easily discharged by the victim, in which case the contemplated effect in remedying hyperventilation would not occur. Preferably, the gauzy portion is made in such a manner that the air-permeability from the outside inwards is relatively high, but the air-permeability from the inside outwards is lower. This can be achieved e.g. by providing passages with a tapered configuration from the outside inwards: an example is shown in Fig. 4.