After intubating a cardiac arrest patient, how should ventilations be delivered while chest compressions are ongoing?

The correct answer illustrates the appropriate technique for delivering ventilations during ongoing chest compressions in a cardiac arrest scenario. Ventilating at a rate of 10 breaths per minute is in line with current resuscitation guidelines, which emphasize not only the rate but also the technique of delivering breaths.

When you provide each breath over a duration of 1 second, it allows for adequate inflation of the lungs without causing excessive pressure, which can lead to complications such as barotrauma or gastric insufflation. Timing the breaths to coincide with a brief pause in chest compressions ensures that adequate blood flow is maintained while still providing necessary oxygenation to the patient.

This approach respects the need for continuous compressions to circulate blood effectively while ensuring that the patient receives sufficient oxygen, especially critical in a situation where the body is not able to oxygenate on its own due to cardiac arrest. It balances the dual priorities of maintaining compressions to keep blood circulating and providing the necessary ventilations for oxygenation.