Which description defines cardiopulmonary arrest?

• A. A temporary pause in breathing during sleep.
• B. A rapid heartbeat without hypertension.
• C. A patient refilling oxygen during transport.
• D. A condition in which the patient stops breathing and the heart stops beating.

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that cardiopulmonary arrest means both the heart and the lungs have stopped functioning effectively. When someone is in cardiopulmonary arrest, there is no breathing on its own and the heart is not producing a detectable pulse, leading to unconsciousness and no circulation to the brain and other organs. That is why the description that says the patient stops breathing and the heart stops beating best captures this emergency.

In contrast, the other scenarios describe conditions that are not arrest: a temporary pause in breathing during sleep is sleep apnea; a rapid heartbeat without hypertension describes tachycardia; refilling oxygen during transport is a normal or expected part of care. Cardiopulmonary arrest requires immediate life-saving actions like CPR and rapid defibrillation if indicated.