In which situations is CPR with compressions and breaths recommended?

• A. Infants, children, drowning or drug overdose, and people who collapse from breathing problems.
• B. Only adults with cardiac arrest.
• C. Only in hospital settings.
• D. In cases of trauma only.

Answer: (A)

CPR that includes both chest compressions and rescue breaths is especially important in cases where breathing problems cause the arrest or are the dominant issue. Infants and children often go into cardiac arrest after a period of poor or stopped breathing, so giving breaths helps re-oxygenate the blood while compressions circulate it. The same applies to drowning or drug overdose, where there is a direct lack of oxygen; rescue breaths restore oxygen levels while the heart is kept pumping with compressions. When someone collapses because they aren’t breathing, the immediate need is to improve oxygen delivery, which breathes directly address, making the combination approach the best choice.

In contrast, other scenarios listed don’t emphasize the need for breaths as clearly—adult cardiac arrest from a heart problem, hospital-only settings, or trauma-only situations involve different considerations and aren’t the focus of this question.