What is the primary aim of CPR?

The primary aim of CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is to keep blood circulating to vital organs. This is crucial because when a person's heart stops beating, blood flow ceases, leading to a lack of oxygen reaching the brain and other vital organs. CPR involves chest compressions that create artificial circulation, providing a minimal amount of blood flow to the heart and brain, which can help maintain cellular function and increase the chances of survival until advanced medical help arrives.

While restoring normal heart rhythm is a goal of some advanced interventions, it is not the immediate objective of CPR itself; it focuses first on maintaining circulation. Checking for responsiveness and ventilating the lungs are important steps in the assessment and management of an unresponsive patient, but without effective circulation, those actions alone cannot sustain life. Thus, the primary focus of CPR is to provide blood flow through compression, ensuring that essential organs receive some level of oxygen until further treatment can be administered.