YMCA Lifeguard Practice Test

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Study for the YMCA Lifeguard Test with multiple choice questions, flashcards, and explanations. Prepare effectively for your examination with detailed hints. Achieve success in your lifeguard certification!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

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What is the primary purpose of performing CPR?

To restore breathing
To stimulate the heart
To maintain blood circulation
To clear an obstructed airway

The correct answer is: To maintain blood circulation

The primary purpose of performing CPR is to maintain blood circulation. When a person experiences cardiac arrest, their heart stops beating effectively, which halts the flow of oxygenated blood to vital organs. CPR combines chest compressions and, if necessary, rescue breaths to manually keep blood circulating throughout the body. This is crucial because the brain and other vital organs can suffer irreversible damage if deprived of oxygen for too long. By maintaining some level of blood circulation, CPR can help sustain life until emergency medical services can take over and provide advanced care. Restoring breathing and stimulating the heart are also important components of life-saving techniques, but they are secondary outcomes. The immediate goal of CPR is focused on delivering blood circulation, which indirectly supports the restoration of normal heart function and breathing once advanced medical support is available. Clearing an obstructed airway is a separate procedure that is vital in cases of choking but is not the primary purpose of CPR itself.