Question

You find a 7-year-old boy who is unresponsive in his bed. You open his airway and check breathing and find that he is not breathing at all. You deliver 2 effective rescue breaths. You now want to check for signs of circulation. Which of the following choices best describes the assessment you should perform to determine if signs of circulation are present in this child?

a) Check the carotid pulse for at least 5 seconds.
b) Perform 30 chest compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths.
c) Assess the femoral pulse for at least 5 seconds.
d) Apply an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) immediately.

Answer 1

To check for signs of circulation in an unresponsive child, check the carotid pulse for at least 5 seconds. If no pulse is found, proceed with CPR, prioritizing chest compressions and rescue breaths. An AED should be applied as soon as it is available.

Step-by-step explanation:

When you find the 7-year-old boy unresponsive and after delivering 2 effective rescue breaths, the next step you should perform to check for signs of circulation is: a) Check the carotid pulse for at least 5 seconds. This allows you to assess whether the heart is beating without the need to begin chest compressions immediately. It is important to note that when performing CPR, the current standards emphasize high-quality chest compressions, and checking for a carotid pulse is part of the process before starting compressions unless you’re trained and confident in giving rescue breaths. If no pulse is found within 5-10 seconds, you would then proceed to administer CPR using chest compressions and rescue breaths, typically at a ratio of 30 compressions to 2 breaths for a child. The applicability of an AED should also be considered as soon as possible if one is available.