If a person becomes unresponsive while choking, what should you do?

Study for the American Heart Association First Aid Test. Prepare with interactive flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question comes with hints and detailed explanations. Get ready to excel in your exam!

When a person becomes unresponsive while choking, it is crucial to perform CPR because this action provides critical support for someone who cannot breathe due to a blocked airway. When a person becomes unresponsive, it indicates that their airway is compromised, and they cannot effectively breathe or expel the choking object on their own.

CPR involves chest compressions and rescue breaths, which can help restore blood circulation and oxygenation to vital organs, potentially allowing the person to regain consciousness and addressing the choking emergency. While doing CPR, it is also essential to look for the obstructing object in the mouth and perform rescue breaths, which can possibly dislodge the object.

Calling emergency services should be done prior to or alongside starting CPR, but the immediate action needed to address the unresponsiveness and choking is to initiate CPR. Continuing abdominal thrusts is not appropriate once the individual is unresponsive, and simply checking for a pulse is insufficient in a choking scenario where the person is not breathing.

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