What is the recommended sequence when assessing an unresponsive patient with no pulse?

• A. Circulation, Airway, Breathing.
• B. Airway, Circulation, Breathing.
• C. Breathing, Airway, Circulation.
• D. Airway, Breathing, Circulation.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that preserving circulation is the immediate priority when an unresponsive patient has no pulse. Without blood flow, vital organs—especially the brain and heart—begin to suffer within minutes. So you start chest compressions right away to push blood through the body. Once compressions are underway, you address the airway and then provide breaths, typically in cycles (for example, 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths) and continue this until help arrives or a pulse returns. In practice, this sequence is Circulation first, then Airway, then Breathing, because restoring blood flow takes precedence over ventilation in a patient without a pulse.