How often should you reassess the victim during CPR?

Reassessing the victim during CPR is crucial to ensure that you monitor their condition and adjust your actions as necessary. After performing 5 cycles of CPR, which typically takes about 2 minutes, it's important to reassess the victim. This allows the rescuer to check for signs of recovery, such as normal breathing or responsiveness, and to respond appropriately based on the victim's changing condition.

Reassessing every 2 minutes or after 5 cycles of compressions and breaths provides a structured approach to ensure that you’re not continuously interrupting the chest compressions, which could reduce the effectiveness of CPR. Interruptions can affect blood flow and oxygen delivery to vital organs, so timing is important.

This method aligns with guidelines from organizations such as the American Heart Association, emphasizing the need to perform CPR effectively while also being responsive to any changes in the victim’s status.