An unrestrained 37-year-old female is in cardiac arrest after striking a tree head-on at a high rate of speed. Assessment reveals her to have suffered massive blunt trauma to the chest and abdomen. The patient is quickly extricated from the vehicle and placed on a long board for immobilization. It is estimated that the patient has been in cardiac arrest for approximately 10 minutes, during which CPR was not performed. At this time, the EMT would:

Question

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The patient is in cardiac arrest and has not received CPR for 10 minutes, making the need for immediate resuscitation essential. Therefore, the EMT should perform CPR while simultaneously contacting medical command for permission to use the AED. AED use is warranted in a cardiac arrest situation to help identify and potentially resolve the cause of the cardiac event. However, before applying the AED, CPR must be continued for at least 2 minutes to provide adequate circulation for the delivery of oxygenated blood to the vital organs.

An Unrestrained 37-Year-Old Female Is in Cardiac Arrest After Striking