Choking (Foreign Body Airway Obstruction):

• New Sequence: For severe choking in conscious adults, start with 5 back blows alternating with 5 abdominal thrusts (instead of abdominal thrusts alone). [1, 2, 3]
• Special Cases: Use chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts if the person is in late-stage pregnancy or if abdominal thrusts are impractical.

Drowning Response:

• Breaths First: For adults or children in cardiac arrest caused by drowning, start CPR with breaths before applying an AED. Drowning is primarily hypoxic (oxygen-deprived), making early rescue breaths critical. [1]

AED Use and Pad Placement:

• Reducing Barriers: To encourage faster defibrillation and reduce hesitation (especially for women), you do not need to completely remove clothing or undergarments. It is reasonable to adjust clothing to place AED pads directly on the skin while maintaining dignity. [1]
• Imperfect Placement: Successful defibrillation can still occur even if pad placement is slightly off; the priority is rapid delivery of the shock.

• Hands-Only vs. Breaths CPR:

  • Trained vs. Untrained: Rescuers trained and willing to give breaths should deliver compressions and breaths together. If untrained or unable to give breaths, Hands-Only CPR (continuous chest compressions) remains fully endorsed as far better than doing nothing. [1]

  Chain of Survival:

  • Unified Framework: A single, standardized Chain of Survival now applies across all age groups and settings to streamline early recognition, CPR, defibrillation, and post-arrest recovery