If the victim has a pulse but is not breathing effectively, what is the recommended action?

When a victim has a pulse but is not breathing effectively, it is essential to provide rescue breaths to ensure adequate oxygenation while avoiding unnecessary chest compressions, as their heart is still beating. The recommended action of giving two breaths followed by chest compressions is based on the understanding that the priority in this situation is to address the inadequate breathing.

In this context, administering two breaths helps to alleviate hypoxia by introducing oxygen directly into the lungs of the victim. After providing those breaths, chest compressions can be started if the victim continues to show signs of inadequate breathing or if they become unresponsive. This approach ensures that both oxygenation and circulation are addressed appropriately, which is crucial for the patient's survival.

Other options, such as providing chest compressions without breaths, giving regular breathing without compressions, or limiting actions to adults only, do not address the need for immediate rescue breaths when the pulse is present but breathing is ineffective. Each of these alternatives fails to accommodate the critical need to restore effective breathing in a patient who is still stabilizing through a pulse.