When a patient is unconscious and non-responsive, should CPR be performed?

The answer

For a True/False quiz, the intended answer is True: when a patient is unconscious and non-responsive, CPR should be performed. But it is worth understanding the important nuance behind that answer, because unconsciousness by itself is not the trigger for CPR — absence of normal breathing and circulation is.

The reason the statement is scored True is that a person who is truly unresponsive AND not breathing normally is in cardiac arrest, and immediate CPR is what keeps oxygenated blood moving to the brain and heart until defibrillation or advanced care arrives. Every minute without CPR after cardiac arrest sharply reduces the chance of survival, so hesitation is dangerous. Modern lay-rescuer guidance deliberately errs on the side of starting compressions.

The step you must not skip

An unresponsive person is not automatically in cardiac arrest — someone can be unconscious (from fainting, a seizure, low blood sugar, or intoxication) yet still breathing normally with a pulse. Performing chest compressions on such a person is not what's wanted. That is why every protocol inserts a quick breathing check between finding the victim unresponsive and starting CPR:

1. Check responsiveness — tap the shoulders and shout, "Are you okay?"
2. Call for help — activate EMS (call 911) and get an AED, or direct a bystander to.
3. Check breathing (and pulse) — look for normal breathing for no more than about 10 seconds. Occasional gasping (agonal breathing) does not count as normal breathing.
4. Start CPR — if there is no normal breathing, begin chest compressions immediately: push hard and fast in the center of the chest, roughly 100–120 compressions per minute, and attach an AED as soon as it arrives.

So the honest, complete answer is: unresponsive + no normal breathing = start CPR (True). Unresponsive but breathing normally = place in a recovery position, monitor, and do not do compressions.

When you should NOT perform CPR

CPR is withheld or stopped in a few situations: the person shows obvious signs of life (normal breathing, movement, a pulse); there are signs incompatible with life or a valid Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order; the scene is unsafe for the rescuer; or a trained provider takes over. For a bystander, though, the practical rule is simple and lifesaving: if the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, start compressions and don't stop until help arrives or the person recovers. Doing nothing is the only clearly wrong choice in cardiac arrest.