Basic Life Support (BLS) Practice Exam

What should be assessed for no more than 10 seconds in a patient experiencing cardiac arrest?

1. Breathing, pulse, and life-threatening bleeding

2. Heart rate, blood pressure, and consciousness

3. Pain level, skin condition, and temperature

4. Capillary refill, pupil reaction, and responsiveness

The correct answer is: Breathing, pulse, and life-threatening bleeding

In the context of a patient experiencing cardiac arrest, it is crucial to quickly assess the patient's breathing, pulse, and any life-threatening bleeding. This assessment should be conducted in a timely manner—ideally, no more than 10 seconds—to ensure that any necessary interventions, such as CPR or defibrillation, can be initiated without delay. Breathing is a critical sign to evaluate because absent or abnormal breathing suggests that the patient is not ventilating properly, which warrants immediate action. The assessment of pulse helps determine whether the heart is effectively circulating blood; if there is no pulse, this indicates that the patient is in cardiac arrest, necessitating CPR. Checking for life-threatening bleeding is vital as it could contribute to the patient’s unstable condition and requires immediate management. Other options involve assessments that are either not critical in the immediate diagnosis of cardiac arrest or take more time than is safe to delay initiating lifesaving measures. For instance, heart rate and blood pressure monitoring can provide valuable information but are secondary to the faster assessments of breathing and pulse in an emergency. Similarly, assessing pain levels or skin temperature may be important in a clinical setting but are not priorities during a cardiac arrest situation when rapid response is essential for survival.