BLS — Basic Life Support — All Questions
20 questions
A responsive adult clutches his throat, cannot speak or cough, and is turning blue. What should you do?
- a.Give 2 breaths immediately
- b.Encourage him to keep coughing
- c.5 back blows, then 5 abdominal thrusts✓
- d.Perform a blind finger sweep
The 2025 Guidelines recommend cycles of 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts for severe adult choking, repeated until the object is expelled or the person becomes unresponsive; encouraging coughing is for mild obstruction.
A 6-month-old infant is choking, cannot cry, and is in obvious distress. The correct technique is:
- a.Abdominal thrusts
- b.5 back blows, then 5 chest thrusts✓
- c.Holding the infant upside down
- d.A blind finger sweep
Infants with severe choking get repeated cycles of 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts, with the heel of the hand in 2025; abdominal thrusts are not recommended in infants.
A choking victim you were treating suddenly becomes unresponsive. What should you do next?
- a.Keep giving abdominal thrusts
- b.Perform blind finger sweeps
- c.Begin CPR, compressions first✓
- d.Give 5 breaths before anything
Once the person is unconscious, the Guidelines support CPR starting with compressions, which can expel the object; look in the mouth before breaths but avoid blind sweeps.
An adult is coughing forcefully and can still speak while eating. This indicates:
- a.A severe obstruction needing thrusts
- b.A mild obstruction; let him cough✓
- c.A need for immediate back blows
- d.A cardiac arrest requiring CPR
A forceful cough and the ability to speak indicate mild obstruction; coughing generates high airway pressures, and the rescuer watches closely for signs of severe obstruction.
An adult is choking but coughing forcefully and speaking. What should a bystander do?
- a.Give abdominal thrusts right away
- b.Start back blows immediately
- c.Start chest compressions
- d.Encourage coughing and monitor✓
Coughing produces high airway pressures and can clear a partial obstruction; first aid is not performed while the person coughs forcefully and can speak, but they are watched for worsening.
Which signs indicate severe airway obstruction?
- a.Loud coughing and talking
- b.Sneezing and clear speech
- c.No sound, weak cough, cyanosis✓
- d.Crying and gagging with speech
Severe obstruction presents with weak or absent cough, inability to speak, color change and altered consciousness; in children, the patient cannot make sounds.
What is the first action for a conscious adult with severe choking under the 2025 Guidelines?
- a.Abdominal thrusts
- b.Chest compressions
- c.Back blows✓
- d.Finger sweep
The 2025 Guidelines now recommend back blows as the initial step for conscious adults with severe FBAO, followed by abdominal thrusts.
Why did the 2025 Guidelines move back blows ahead of abdominal thrusts for adults?
- a.Better relief, fewer injuries✓
- b.Abdominal thrusts are illegal
- c.Back blows are easier to teach children
- d.Abdominal thrusts were never effective
A cohort of 709 people with FBAO showed back blows were associated with better relief and fewer injuries than abdominal thrusts, and abdominal thrusts have caused fatal injuries in case reports.
Where is the fist placed for abdominal thrusts?
- a.On the lower breastbone
- b.Just above the navel✓
- c.Below the belly button on the pelvis
- d.On the upper chest near the neck
MedlinePlus places the thumb side of the fist just above the navel and well below the breastbone, then thrusts upward and inward.
How are back blows delivered to an adult?
- a.Open palm on the lower back
- b.Fist on the top of the head
- c.Knuckles on the breastbone
- d.Heel of hand between the blades✓
MedlinePlus describes supporting the person leaning forward and delivering firm blows with the heel of the hand between the shoulder blades.
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A choking infant cannot cry. What sequence is recommended?
- a.5 back blows, then 5 chest thrusts✓
- b.5 abdominal thrusts, then back blows
- c.Chest compressions only
- d.Back blows only
Infants with severe FBAO get repeated cycles of 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts; abdominal thrusts are not recommended in infants.
Why are abdominal thrusts avoided in infants?
- a.They are too weak to work
- b.They can injure abdominal organs✓
- c.They are only for pets
- d.They cause the infant to cry
The Pediatric Guidelines state abdominal thrusts are not recommended for infants because of the potential to cause abdominal organ injury.
What hand technique is now recommended for infant chest thrusts?
- a.The whole palm of both hands
- b.A closed fist
- c.The heel of the hand✓
- d.Two fingers
The heel-of-hand technique is now recommended for infant chest thrusts because it generates greater depth than the previously recommended two-finger technique.
A choking woman is in late pregnancy. What replaces abdominal thrusts?
- a.Gentler abdominal thrusts
- b.Back blows forever
- c.Chest thrusts✓
- d.Waiting for EMS
When abdominal thrusts are impractical or inappropriate, such as late pregnancy, chest thrusts can provide enough pressure to expel the object.
A choking adult collapses and CPR begins. Before giving the first breaths, what should the rescuer do?
- a.Check the pulse for 30 seconds
- b.Look in the mouth for a visible object✓
- c.Give 5 abdominal thrusts on the floor
- d.Sweep the throat blindly with a finger
The Guidelines recommend inspecting the mouth for a foreign body before delivering breaths and removing it only if visible; blind finger sweeps risk worsening the obstruction.
During CPR on a person who choked, when may the rescuer remove an object from the mouth?
- a.Never under any circumstance
- b.Always, with a blind sweep
- c.Only after 10 minutes of CPR
- d.Only when it is visible✓
Removing a visible foreign body helps prevent reobstruction, but when no object is visible the risk of a blind finger sweep outweighs any benefit.
What does the 2025 guidance say about portable anti-choking suction devices?
- a.They are required in every restaurant
- b.They replace back blows in children
- c.They have unproven benefit and safety✓
- d.They are the recommended first step
The Guidelines found no evidence that these devices are superior to back blows or abdominal thrusts, and no data establishing their safety.
A choking 8-year-old cannot speak. What sequence is now recommended?
- a.Abdominal thrusts only
- b.5 back blows, then 5 chest thrusts
- c.5 back blows, then 5 abdominal thrusts✓
- d.Two breaths, then abdominal thrusts
Children with severe FBAO now receive repeated cycles of 5 back blows alternating with 5 abdominal thrusts until the object is cleared or the child becomes unresponsive.
After a choking episode is relieved, what does MedlinePlus advise?
- a.Only home observation
- b.A medical examination✓
- c.Returning to the meal at once
- d.No follow-up needed
MedlinePlus advises that anyone who has choked should have a medical exam because complications can arise from the obstruction and from the first-aid measures.
A choking toddler becomes limp. What do the Guidelines say about a pulse check?
- a.Pulse check before calling EMS
- b.Pulse check after 5 back blows
- c.A 10-second pulse check first
- d.No pulse check; start CPR✓
Once an infant or child with FBAO is unconscious, the Guidelines support immediate CPR with compressions without a pulse check, followed by breaths.