What is the recommended compression-to-ventilation ratio for a single rescuer adult CPR?

• A. 30 compressions to 2 breaths
• B. 15 compressions to 2 breaths
• C. 20 compressions to 2 breaths
• D. 30 compressions to 4 breaths

Answer: (A)

In single-rescuer adult CPR, the goal is to keep blood circulating as you also provide oxygen to the lungs. The recommended pattern is to do thirty chest compressions, then give two rescue breaths, and repeat that cycle. This timing gives enough compressions to maintain circulation while adding breaths to oxygenate the blood without causing long pauses in compressions. When giving breaths, each should take about a second and produce visible chest rise. Aim for a compression rate of about one hundred to one hundred twenty per minute and a depth of roughly two inches (five centimeters) for adults. Continue cycles until the person responds, help arrives, or an advanced airway is placed. The other options don’t fit this scenario: fifteen compressions to two breaths is the two-rescuer or pediatric guideline, twenty to two isn’t the standard for single-rescuer adult CPR, and thirty to four breaths would interrupt compressions more than recommended, reducing blood flow.