The invention relates to a method of controlling a respiratory assistance apparatus delivering a flow of gas, particularly a flow of air, comprising the steps of measuring at least one parameter indicative of said flow of gas； converting said at least one parameter indicative of said flow of gas into at least one signal indicative of said flow of gas； processing said at least one signal indicative of the flow of gas in order therefrom to deduce at least one item of information relating to cardiac massage being performed on a patient in cardiac arrest； on the basis of said at least one deduced item of information, automatically selecting a given ventilation mode from among a number of stored ventilation modes, and controlling the respiratory assistance apparatus by applying the selected ventilation mode. Respiratory assistance apparatus capable of implementing said control method.
