What key feature helps determine if a patient requires CPR?

The determination of whether a patient requires CPR hinges primarily on the assessment of two critical signs: unresponsiveness and the lack of normal breathing. When a person is unresponsive, this indicates that they are not able to react or respond to external stimuli, which is a crucial and urgent concern for their safety. Additionally, the absence of normal breathing suggests that the heart may not be effectively pumping oxygenated blood to vital organs, which can lead to cardiac arrest.

In such cases, starting CPR is essential to maintain blood flow and oxygen delivery until emergency medical services can take over. This makes the combination of unresponsiveness and lack of normal breathing the key indicators that prompt the initiation of CPR. The ability to assess these factors quickly can significantly impact the outcome for the patient, making it vital for healthcare providers, including dental nurses, to be trained in recognizing these signs.

Other options, while they may relate to a patient's overall condition, do not provide the same immediate indicators that CPR is needed. For example, a pulse can sometimes be present even when breathing has stopped, making it an unreliable indicator on its own, while sudden coughing or moist skin may denote other medical conditions but are not definitive signs that immediate resuscitation is required.