Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a fundamental life-saving intervention used when a person’s breathing or heart stops. Before active resuscitation begins, a structured initial assessment is performed to determine the victim’s status and the appropriate next steps. In many basic first aid and CPR courses, the acronym RAB is taught to establish the priority sequence for this initial evaluation, helping a rescuer quickly transition to initiating life support measures.
Defining the RAB Acronym
The acronym RAB is a mnemonic device used to guide a rescuer through the essential steps of assessing an unconscious person. The letters stand for Responsiveness, Airway, and Breathing. This sequence establishes the priority for evaluating the victim’s immediate condition before calling for help or beginning compressions. The focus of RAB is a rapid, sequential check to see if the person is conscious, if their breathing passage is open, and if they are breathing normally. This assessment informs the rescuer how to proceed with the emergency response.
The Initial Assessment Process
The first step, Responsiveness, involves checking the victim’s level of consciousness by gently tapping or shaking them and speaking loudly, often asking, “Are you okay?” If there is no response, the victim is unresponsive, signaling the need for immediate emergency action. The rescuer should then ensure the Airway is clear, as the tongue can obstruct the throat. This is achieved using the head-tilt/chin-lift maneuver, which repositions the jaw and tongue to open the upper airway.
Once the airway is open, the rescuer quickly checks for Breathing by looking for chest rise and fall, listening for sounds, and feeling for air movement. This check must be completed efficiently, taking no more than ten seconds. If the person is not breathing or is only gasping, the rescuer must immediately activate emergency medical services and prepare to initiate resuscitation. This ordered assessment ensures that life-threatening issues are addressed before moving to active CPR.
Relation to Current CPR Guidelines
While RAB serves as the preliminary assessment to determine the victim’s status, the sequence for active resuscitation has shifted in recent years. Modern CPR guidelines from organizations like the American Heart Association emphasize the C-A-B sequence: Compressions, Airway, and Breathing. This change prioritizes starting chest compressions immediately to ensure blood circulation is maintained, as minimizing the delay to first compression is linked to better survival outcomes. Therefore, RAB is positioned as the necessary preliminary step to confirm unresponsiveness and absence of breathing before the rescuer initiates the life-saving C-A-B sequence.