It is possible for a patient to continue breathing after his or her heart has stopped beating.

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Prepare for the Paxton Patterson Emergency Medical Technician exam. Utilize study guides, flashcards, and multiple choice questions to boost your confidence and ensure success!

Multiple Choice

It is possible for a patient to continue breathing after his or her heart has stopped beating.

Explanation:
When the heart stops, circulation ends and the body soon loses the oxygen that keeps normal breathing going. Breathing may appear briefly as irregular gasps (agonal respirations), but these are not true, effective breaths and cannot sustain life. So, the statement isn’t correct: after the heart stops beating, sustained, normal breathing cannot continue. In practice, treat suspected cardiac arrest as such and begin CPR immediately, since any observed breathing does not negate the need for rapid intervention.

When the heart stops, circulation ends and the body soon loses the oxygen that keeps normal breathing going. Breathing may appear briefly as irregular gasps (agonal respirations), but these are not true, effective breaths and cannot sustain life. So, the statement isn’t correct: after the heart stops beating, sustained, normal breathing cannot continue. In practice, treat suspected cardiac arrest as such and begin CPR immediately, since any observed breathing does not negate the need for rapid intervention.

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