BLS — Basic Life Support — All Questions

An AED arrives while you are performing CPR on an adult in cardiac arrest. What should you do?

• a.Finish 5 more minutes of CPR before using the AED
• b.Turn on the AED, attach the pads, and follow its prompts while minimizing interruptions in compressions✓
• c.Check for a pulse for a full minute before attaching the AED
• d.Only use the AED if a physician is present to authorize it

Early defibrillation is time-critical for shockable rhythms, so as soon as an AED is available you turn it on, attach the pads, and follow the voice prompts. Compressions continue until the AED is ready to analyze, keeping the interruption as short as possible. No physician authorization is required to use an AED.

You are using an AED on a 5-year-old child. Which is correct?

• a.Use pediatric pads or a pediatric dose attenuator if available✓
• b.Never use an AED on a child under 8 years old
• c.Always use adult pads at full energy regardless of availability
• d.Delay defibrillation until EMS brings a pediatric AED

For a child under 8 years, use pediatric pads or a dose attenuator if they are available to reduce the delivered energy. However, if only adult pads are available, use them rather than withhold a needed shock — just ensure the pads do not touch each other. Defibrillation should never be delayed for a shockable rhythm.

Immediately after the AED delivers a shock to an adult, the rescuer should:

• a.Check for a pulse for 10 seconds before doing anything else
• b.Wait for the AED to re-analyze before touching the victim
• c.Resume chest compressions immediately, starting with compressions✓
• d.Give 2 rescue breaths and then reassess the airway

After any shock — or after a 'no shock advised' message — resume high-quality chest compressions immediately without pausing to check a pulse. The heart needs perfusion to recover an effective rhythm, and the next rhythm/pulse analysis occurs after the full 2-minute CPR cycle. Stopping to check a pulse wastes critical perfusion time.

Before the AED analyzes the rhythm and before delivering a shock, the rescuer must:

• a.Pour water on the chest to improve pad conduction
• b.Place both pads on the same side of the chest
• c.Remove the victim's clothing but leave medication patches in place
• d.Ensure no one is touching the victim and clearly state 'Clear'✓

Everyone must be clear of the victim during analysis and shock so the reading is accurate and no rescuer is shocked; announce 'Clear' and visually confirm no contact. The chest should be dry (not wet), pads are placed in the diagonal positions shown, and any transdermal medication patch is removed and the area wiped so it does not block energy or cause a burn.