First Aid and CPR/AED Level C Practice Exam 2026 – Comprehensive All-in-One Guide for Exam Success!

Activating emergency services right away is the priority when you suspect anaphylaxis. This condition can escalate quickly, leading to airway obstruction and shock, so getting professional help on the way as soon as possible gives the person access to advanced care, monitoring, and medications that may be needed.

If you have an epinephrine auto-injector and are trained to use it, administer it promptly, but the first action remains to summon EMS so they can continue definitive treatment and transport if needed. The AED is not the immediate need unless the person becomes unresponsive with no pulse; in that scenario you would begin CPR and use the AED, but that situation is not the first action when anaphylaxis is suspected.

Avoid delaying help to check the allergen or to give antihistamines, as these do not treat the life-threatening symptoms of anaphylaxis.