If the victim begins to breathe during CPR but is still unresponsive, the rescuer should immediately place that person in the "Recovery Position" until help arrives. The Recovery Position is lying the victim on their side, head resting on their arm, and chin up. This position helps keep the airway open, allows fluids to drain from the mouth, and prevents the victim from inhaling stomach contents if the victim vomits.
Video tutorials are widely available. An example includes
this video.
If a victim suddenly becomes responsive, the rescuer should continue the cycle of 30 compressions. If a rescuer comes off the chest immediately as the victim arouses, there is a 33% chance of dysrhythmias reoccurring.7,8
7. Pierce AE, Roppolo LP, Owens PC, Pepe PE, Idris AH. The need to resume chest compressions immediately after defibrillation attempts: an analysis of post-shock rhythms and duration of pulselessness following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. 2015 Apr;89:162-8. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2014.12.023. Epub 2015 Jan 15. PMID: 25597505.8. Conover, Z., Zacherie Conover From the Sarver Heart Center (Z.C., Kern, K., Karl B. Kern From the Sarver Heart Center (Z.C., Silver, A., Annemarie E. Silver From the Sarver Heart Center (Z.C., . . . Indik, C. (2014, July 11). Resumption of chest compressions after successful defibrillation and risk for recurrence of ventricular fibrillation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCEP.114.001506
