Any adult who is unresponsive and not breathing normally (or only gasping) requires high‑quality CPR.

When an adult needs CPR

Use high‑quality CPR in all these situations:

  • The adult is unresponsive, not moving, and not breathing or only gasping (cardiac arrest).
  • There is no normal breathing and no definite pulse if you are trained to check for one.
  • Collapse is sudden and the person becomes unconscious, with breathing that stops or becomes abnormal.

In simple exam‑style terms, the correct choice is:

The unresponsive adult who is not breathing normally (or is only gasping) requires high‑quality CPR.

What “high‑quality” CPR means

For adults, guidelines describe high‑quality CPR as:

  • Hard, fast chest compressions in the center of the chest at 100–120 per minute, allowing full chest recoil.
  • Compression depth about 5–6 cm (around 2 inches), with minimal interruptions and correct hand placement.
  • A 30:2 ratio of compressions to breaths if trained and willing to give rescue breaths; otherwise continuous compressions.

Quick exam reminder

If you see answer options like:

  1. Adult who is unresponsive and not breathing normally
  2. Adult who is breathing normally but unconscious
  3. Adult who is responsive but has chest pain
  4. Adult who is breathing but has a weak pulse

The correct answer for “which adult victim requires high‑quality CPR” is option 1.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.