Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Practice 2025 - Free CPR Practice Questions and Study Tips.

When performing CPR on an adult and you are alone, the best course of action is to start CPR right away and then call for help. This approach is critical because each moment without CPR can significantly decrease the chances of survival for the victim. When someone is in cardiac arrest, their heart is not pumping blood effectively, which means that vital organs, including the brain, are not receiving the oxygen they need.

Initiating CPR immediately helps maintain blood flow and oxygenation, which can extend the window of survivability until professional help arrives. After starting CPR, you should then call for emergency assistance, ensuring that help is on the way while you are actively working to sustain life. This sequence prioritizes the victim’s need for oxygenated blood over the need to notify emergency services, which can be addressed simultaneously with ongoing CPR efforts.

In contrast, other options prioritizing calling for help before or instead of performing CPR may lead to a critical delay in care that could result in irreversible damage or death due to lack of immediate intervention.