Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider Exam (AHA) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Before approaching a victim of electrocution, what must the rescuer confirm?

That the victim is showing signs of breathing
That the AED is fully charged and ready to use
That the victim's blood pressure is measurable
That the scene is safe and the electrical power source has been de-energized (Correct answer)

Correct answer: That the scene is safe and the electrical power source has been de-energized

Rescuer safety is the top priority; approaching an electrocution victim without confirming the power is off can electrocute the rescuer.

Question 2: An AED advises 'No shock recommended.' After confirming this, what is the immediate next step?

Deliver a manual shock if trained
Wait 2 minutes and reanalyze
Check for a pulse and, if absent, resume CPR immediately (Correct answer)
Remove the AED pads and transport the patient

Correct answer: Check for a pulse and, if absent, resume CPR immediately

If the AED advises no shock, immediately resume CPR starting with chest compressions while continuing to follow AED prompts.

Question 3: Which of the following scenarios represents PRIMARY respiratory arrest?

Ventricular fibrillation leads to absent breathing
Drug overdose stops breathing before the heart fails (Correct answer)
Complete airway obstruction from a foreign body causes immediate cardiac arrest
Severe blood loss triggers multi-organ failure including lung failure

Correct answer: Drug overdose stops breathing before the heart fails

Primary respiratory arrest occurs when breathing stops first due to a non-cardiac cause while the heart initially continues.

Question 4: Why is it important to shout 'Clear!' before pressing the shock button on an AED?

To signal EMS that a shock is being given
To reset the AED's analysis cycle
To alert bystanders to begin CPR
To ensure no one is touching the victim when the shock is delivered, preventing injury to rescuers (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To ensure no one is touching the victim when the shock is delivered, preventing injury to rescuers

Shouting 'Clear!' and visually confirming no one is touching the victim prevents the electrical shock from being conducted through bystanders.

Question 5: A child victim is estimated to be 6 years old. Which AED setting or equipment should you use?

Double the adult dose on the AED
Standard adult pads and adult energy dose
Skip the AED entirely for children
Pediatric pads or a pediatric dose-attenuator if available; use adult if not (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Pediatric pads or a pediatric dose-attenuator if available; use adult if not

For children aged 1-8 years, use pediatric pads or an energy attenuator when available; if unavailable, adult pads and adult energy may be used.

Question 6: During cardiac arrest, which heart rhythm is most commonly associated with sudden cardiac arrest in adults?

Pulseless electrical activity (PEA)
Asystole
Ventricular fibrillation (VF) (Correct answer)
Sinus bradycardia

Correct answer: Ventricular fibrillation (VF)

Ventricular fibrillation is the most common initial rhythm in sudden cardiac arrest in adults and is shockable.

Question 7: If a pocket mask is available, what is the correct position for the rescuer using it on a supine patient?

Straddling the patient's hips
At the patient's side
At the top of the patient's head (Correct answer)
Kneeling beside the patient's chest

Correct answer: At the top of the patient's head

When using a pocket mask, the rescuer typically positions at the top of the patient's head to maintain the airway with both hands while delivering breaths.

Question 8: You are using an AED on an adult victim and notice significant chest hair. What should you do?

Apply pads over the hair and proceed
Shave the chest if a razor is available, or press pads firmly and remove quickly to clear hair, then reapply (Correct answer)
Use pediatric pads instead
Abandon the AED and only perform CPR

Correct answer: Shave the chest if a razor is available, or press pads firmly and remove quickly to clear hair, then reapply

Excess chest hair can prevent good pad contact; quickly shaving or using a pad to strip hair improves electrode adhesion for accurate analysis and effective shock delivery.

Question 9: You witness a man collapse and suspect cardiac arrest. You are alone with your phone. In what ORDER should you act?

Start CPR, then call 911 after 2 minutes
Shout for help, call 911, start CPR (Correct answer)
Check pulse for 30 seconds, then call 911
Call 911, then do nothing until EMS arrives

Correct answer: Shout for help, call 911, start CPR

For a witnessed adult cardiac arrest, the priority sequence is: confirm unresponsiveness, shout for help, call 911 (or have someone call), then begin CPR.

Question 10: Which behavior MOST disrupts effective team dynamics during cardiac arrest?

Using a checklist for medication timing
Rotating compressors every 2 minutes
Verbalizing when an AED is analyzing rhythm
Multiple team members giving simultaneous orders (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Multiple team members giving simultaneous orders

Multiple simultaneous orders create confusion, divide attention, and undermine the team leader's authority, leading to errors.

Question 11: When providing bag-mask ventilation alone (no advanced airway), why is cricoid pressure (Sellick maneuver) NOT routinely recommended during CPR?

It is reserved for pediatric patients only
It can impede ventilation and slow airway management without proven benefit (Correct answer)
It is only beneficial after intubation
It requires two additional rescuers and is impractical

Correct answer: It can impede ventilation and slow airway management without proven benefit

Current AHA guidelines do not recommend routine cricoid pressure because it can worsen ventilation without demonstrated reduction in aspiration.

Question 12: A new rescuer arrives mid-resuscitation. The team leader should FIRST:

Integrate them by assigning a specific role after a brief update (Correct answer)
Allow the rescuer to self-assign a task based on their skills
Ask them to observe until a natural pause occurs
Have them take over the team leader role immediately

Correct answer: Integrate them by assigning a specific role after a brief update

The team leader integrates new arrivals quickly by assigning a role and providing a concise situation update to maintain momentum.

Question 13: A conscious adult is choking and you are significantly shorter than them. The best approach is to:

Perform thrusts from the front instead of behind
Ask the victim to sit or kneel to match your height, then perform abdominal thrusts (Correct answer)
Wait for someone taller to assist
Only perform back blows since you cannot reach

Correct answer: Ask the victim to sit or kneel to match your height, then perform abdominal thrusts

Having the victim sit or kneel allows a shorter rescuer to position themselves correctly behind the victim to deliver effective abdominal thrusts.

Question 14: Once an advanced airway is placed during adult CPR, what is the recommended ventilation rate?

1 breath every 3–5 seconds (12–20 per minute)
1 breath every 6 seconds (10 per minute) (Correct answer)
1 breath every 10 seconds (6 per minute)
1 breath every 2 seconds (30 per minute)

Correct answer: 1 breath every 6 seconds (10 per minute)

With an advanced airway, compressions are continuous and ventilations are delivered asynchronously at 10 per minute (1 every 6 seconds).

Question 15: A dispatcher is coaching a bystander over the phone in a suspected cardiac arrest. The bystander says the victim is making gurgling sounds. The dispatcher should advise:

Do not start CPR — gurgling means the airway is partially open
Perform abdominal thrusts to clear an airway obstruction
Begin chest compressions — gurgling sounds can be agonal breathing (Correct answer)
Place the victim on their side to clear the airway

Correct answer: Begin chest compressions — gurgling sounds can be agonal breathing

Gurgling sounds may represent agonal breathing associated with cardiac arrest; the dispatcher should instruct bystanders to begin chest compressions.

Question 16: A victim is found in a pool of water. What should you do before using an AED?

Use the AED immediately since electricity is safe in water
Move the victim to a dry surface and dry the chest (Correct answer)
Deliver the shock while the victim remains in water
Skip the AED and only perform CPR

Correct answer: Move the victim to a dry surface and dry the chest

The victim must be moved to a dry surface and the chest dried before AED pads are applied to prevent shock conduction through water.

Question 17: Which of the following scenarios is an indication to stop CPR?

Bystanders request that CPR be stopped
The victim remains pulseless after 10 minutes of CPR
The AED has delivered three consecutive shocks without response
ROSC occurs, a valid DNR is produced, or rescuers are physically unable to continue (Correct answer)

Correct answer: ROSC occurs, a valid DNR is produced, or rescuers are physically unable to continue

CPR should be stopped when ROSC is achieved, a valid DNR is presented, or rescuers are physically exhausted with no additional help available.

Question 18: An elderly resident of a nursing home is choking and has significant osteoporosis. Which concern is MOST relevant when choosing your technique?

All choking techniques are equally safe regardless of bone density
Back blows are contraindicated in elderly patients
Chest thrusts carry a higher risk of rib fracture in this population (Correct answer)
Abdominal thrusts may be ineffective due to poor diaphragm strength

Correct answer: Chest thrusts carry a higher risk of rib fracture in this population

Chest thrusts carry a higher risk of rib fracture in patients with osteoporosis, so abdominal thrusts are generally preferred unless abdominal thrusts are contraindicated.

Question 19: You're in the hospital cafeteria on break. You observe a disturbance at a different table as you settle down to enjoy your lunch. A man appears to be in trouble as he stands up. He made the traditional choking sign by placing his hands at the victim's throat. You stand beside the person who is choking. <br> (True or False) Your first line of defense should be encircling the victim's chest.

True (Correct answer)
False

Correct answer: True

True. For a conscious adult choking victim, the first line of defense is to perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver). This involves standing behind the victim and encircling their chest with your arms, then delivering quick, upward thrusts to the abdomen. This action helps to dislodge the foreign object from the airway.

Question 20: During a resuscitation, the team leader asks a rescuer to start an IV. The rescuer is unsure of the patient's weight and asks for clarification. This is an example of:

Constructive intervention
Shared mental model
Mutual respect
Closed-loop communication (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Closed-loop communication

Closed-loop communication includes the receiver confirming the message and asking clarifying questions before completing the task.

Question 21: You release the baby's airway after 30 chest compressions, then search the child's mouth for the obstruction. You are able to take out a small toy that you see. <br> (True or False) You'll perform a brachial pulse check as your next course of action.

False (Correct answer)
True

Correct answer: False

False. After successfully removing an obstruction and providing rescue breaths, if the child is still unresponsive and not breathing normally, you should continue CPR. A pulse check is only performed if the child shows signs of life (e.g., starts breathing normally, moving, or responding). If the child remains unresponsive, CPR should continue until EMS arrives or the child recovers.

Question 22: Which of the following is a common cause of respiratory arrest in adults?

Opioid overdose (Correct answer)
Atrial fibrillation
Hyperthyroidism
Hyperglycemia

Correct answer: Opioid overdose

Opioid overdose causes respiratory depression that can progress to complete respiratory arrest.

Question 23: After determining that the man is not responding, you call out for assistance. After establishing inattentiveness and yelling for assistance, what action should you take next?

place the patient in rescue position
get a defibrillator
begin CPR
activate the emergency response system (Correct answer)

Correct answer: activate the emergency response system

After determining that the victim is unresponsive and calling out for assistance, the next crucial step for a single rescuer is to activate the emergency response system (e.g., call 911 or activate a 'code blue'). This ensures that professional help is on the way. Once activated, the rescuer can then proceed with further assessment and interventions like checking for a pulse and breathing.

Question 24: What is ventricular fibrillation (VF), and why is it the primary rhythm treated by an AED?

Chaotic, disorganized electrical activity in the ventricles that prevents effective pumping, corrected by shock (Correct answer)
An atrial rhythm that AEDs detect but do not treat
A rhythm that causes high blood pressure
A slow but organized heart rhythm that responds to medication

Correct answer: Chaotic, disorganized electrical activity in the ventricles that prevents effective pumping, corrected by shock

VF is chaotic electrical activity that prevents the heart from pumping blood; defibrillation delivers a shock to reset the heart's electrical system and restore an organized rhythm.

Question 25: In an opioid overdose scenario where the victim has no pulse and no breathing, the rescuer should:

Perform rescue breathing only, as cardiac arrest is unlikely
Use an AED first before starting CPR
Give naloxone only and wait for the pulse to return
Begin CPR (30:2 compressions and ventilations) and administer naloxone (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Begin CPR (30:2 compressions and ventilations) and administer naloxone

If the victim is pulseless, standard high-quality CPR should begin immediately; naloxone can be administered concurrently but does not replace CPR.

Question 26: Which ethical principle is MOST directly upheld when a BLS provider honors a patient's valid advance directive refusing CPR?

Autonomy (Correct answer)
Justice
Nonmaleficence
Beneficence

Correct answer: Autonomy

Autonomy is the patient's right to make their own medical decisions, including refusing treatment through an advance directive.

Question 27: When performing CPR on a near-term pregnant patient, how should her body be positioned?

Tilted 15–30 degrees to the left using a wedge or manual left uterine displacement (Correct answer)
Seated upright at 90 degrees
Tilted 45 degrees to the right side
Flat on her back with no modifications

Correct answer: Tilted 15–30 degrees to the left using a wedge or manual left uterine displacement

Left lateral tilt or manual uterine displacement relieves aortocaval compression from the gravid uterus, improving cardiac output during CPR.

Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider Exam (AHA)

This exam certifies healthcare professionals and other personnel to recognize several life-threatening emergencies, provide CPR, use an AED, and relieve choking.

Questions

60 min

Time Limit

84%

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