What is the primary purpose of CPR?

The primary purpose of CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is to maintain blood flow throughout the body, particularly to vital organs such as the brain and heart, during a medical emergency. When a person's heart stops beating effectively, blood circulation ceases, which can lead to irreversible damage to these organs within minutes. By performing CPR, rescuers manually pump the heart and provide artificial breaths if necessary, which helps keep oxygenated blood circulating. This is crucial for prolonging life and preserving organ function until advanced medical help arrives or spontaneous circulation is restored.

While restarting the heart is a goal of CPR, it is not the immediate function of the technique, as many initial CPR efforts may not result in a normal heartbeat but still effectively maintain blood flow. Cooling body temperature is related to managing certain medical conditions but is not a direct goal of CPR. Similarly, providing oxygen to the brain is an incidental benefit of maintaining blood flow, but CPR's primary aim is to ensure overall circulation rather than focusing solely on oxygen delivery to the brain.