Safety and emergency

CAB

Compressions, Airway, Breathing

The sequence for adult CPR, which reversed the older ABC order so that chest compressions begin first rather than after airway and rescue breaths.

Resuscitation sequences are set by the American Heart Association and are revised on a multi-year cycle. Treat this entry as vocabulary, not as a protocol — the current guideline is the authority for practice.

What each letter stands for

  1. 1 Compressions — start chest compressions.
  2. 2 Airway — open the airway.
  3. 3 Breathing — deliver rescue breaths.

How it gets tested

The item is nearly always the contrast with ABC: assessment priority is A-B-C, resuscitation sequence is C-A-B. A question that names cardiac arrest and offers both is testing whether you noticed the switch.

Related terms

ABC

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