which of the following would indicate cardiac arrest? select 2 answers.
The two findings that indicate cardiac arrest are: unresponsive (sudden loss of responsiveness) and not breathing or only gasping (agonal gasps).
Core idea: how you recognize cardiac arrest
In basic life support, you assume cardiac arrest when an adult is:
- Unresponsive (no response to voice or tapping).
- Not breathing at all or has only abnormal gasping breaths (agonal gasps).
If both are present, you immediately start CPR and use an AED if available.
Why those two answers
Many exam-style questions phrase it like:
- âNot breathing or only gaspingâ â indicates the heart is not pumping effectively and is treated as cardiac arrest.
- âUnresponsiveâ â sudden loss of responsiveness with no normal breathing is a key sign of cardiac arrest.
Other symptoms such as headache, dizziness, cyanosis, or a weak pulse can mean serious illness but do not by themselves confirm cardiac arrest.
Quick mental checklist (exam tip)
When you see a âselect 2 answersâ question about cardiac arrest, look for:
- âUnresponsiveâ or âsudden loss of responsivenessâ.
- âNot breathingâ or âonly gasping/agonal gaspsâ.
An example stem you might see:
A person suddenly collapses, does not respond to shouting or shaking, and is not breathing normally, only gasping. Which findings indicate cardiac arrest?
The correct pair would again be unresponsive and not breathing or only gasping.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
