BLS BLS High-Quality CPR & Provider Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When delivering breaths with a bag-mask device during CPR, what tidal volume is recommended?
- Enough volume to produce visible chest rise (Correct answer)
- The maximum volume the bag can deliver per squeeze
- Exactly 500 mL regardless of chest rise
- Whatever fully inflates the patient's lungs
Correct answer: Enough volume to produce visible chest rise
Deliver just enough tidal volume to produce visible chest rise; over-ventilation causes gastric inflation and reduces cardiac output.
Question 2: The E-C clamp technique for bag-mask ventilation refers to:
- Squeezing the entire bag with a full fist grip
- Using the thumb and index finger (C-shape) to seal the mask and the remaining fingers (E-shape) to lift the jaw (Correct answer)
- Applying cricoid pressure with two fingers while a partner ventilates
- A 2-handed thumbs-down grip on the bag for stronger delivery
Correct answer: Using the thumb and index finger (C-shape) to seal the mask and the remaining fingers (E-shape) to lift the jaw
The C-shape seals the mask to the face while the E-shape lifts the mandible, ensuring a patent airway and an effective mask seal simultaneously.
Question 3: For 2-rescuer BLS in a child (not a newborn or adult), what is the correct compression-to-ventilation ratio?
- 30:2 — same as adults regardless of number of rescuers
- 15:2 — allowing more frequent breaths for the pediatric patient (Correct answer)
- 30:1 — reduced ventilations to prioritize compressions
- 5:1 — the traditional pediatric ratio
Correct answer: 15:2 — allowing more frequent breaths for the pediatric patient
The 2-rescuer pediatric ratio is 15:2, providing more ventilations to address the greater role of hypoxia in pediatric cardiac arrests.
Question 4: How do you confirm that bag-mask ventilation is effective during CPR?
- By counting the number of breaths delivered per minute
- By observing visible chest rise with each delivered breath (Correct answer)
- By continuously monitoring oxygen saturation with a pulse oximeter
- By listening for bowel sounds to rule out gastric inflation
Correct answer: By observing visible chest rise with each delivered breath
Visible chest rise is the most reliable real-time indicator that ventilations are entering the lungs and not the stomach.
Question 5: Why is over-ventilation harmful during CPR?
- It causes rapid rescuer dehydration and fatigue
- It raises intrathoracic pressure, reducing venous return and cardiac output during CPR (Correct answer)
- It triggers the vagal reflex and slows heart rate further
- It depletes the oxygen supply in the bag-mask device too quickly
Correct answer: It raises intrathoracic pressure, reducing venous return and cardiac output during CPR
Excessive positive pressure in the chest opposes venous return, impairing heart refilling and reducing blood flow with each compression.
Question 6: 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).
BLS BLS High-Quality CPR & Provider Skills 2
When delivering breaths with a bag-mask device during CPR, what tidal volume is recommended?