What symptom indicates the need for immediate CPR?

The situation that indicates the need for immediate CPR is unresponsiveness combined with a lack of normal breathing. When a person is unresponsive, it means they are not responding to stimuli, and when there is no normal breathing, it is a critical emergency suggesting that the heart may not be pumping blood effectively, if at all.

In such scenarios, the individual is at severe risk of cardiac arrest, and immediate action is required to restore circulation and provide oxygen to the brain and vital organs. CPR helps to maintain blood flow and oxygenation until professional medical help arrives.

While difficulty breathing, a rapid pulse, and chest pain are serious medical symptoms, they do not necessarily indicate that CPR is immediately needed without the additional signs of unresponsiveness and lack of normal breathing. These conditions, while concerning and warranting medical attention, do not put the patient in a situation that requires immediate life-saving intervention like CPR does.