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CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is an emergency first aid technique that is a combination of chest compressions and artificial ventilation (mouth-to-mouth). It is a life-saving procedure that can help keep someone’s blood flowing after their heart stops beating, as well as double or triple the chances of survival after cardiac arrest.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends the use of the letters CAB to help you remember the order of CPR steps:
Here are the 7 basic steps of CPR and how to do them in the correct order.
7 basic steps of CPR
According to the American Red Cross, here are the 7 steps for performing CPR:
1. Assess the situation
- Make sure the person is on a firm surface
- Tap the person on the shoulder and confirm that they need help.
2. Call for help
- Look for someone who can get an automated external defibrillator (AED) if available at the nearest emergency medical care center.
- If there is no AED available, stay with the victim and call 911.
3. Open the airway
- Lay the person on their back, and tilt their head back to lift their chin.
- Remove any obvious blockages in the mouth or nose, such as vomit, blood, food, or loose teeth.
4. Check for breathing
- Listen carefully for breathing sounds for at least 10 seconds (except for occasional gasping sounds).
- If you cannot hear breathing sounds, begin CPR.
5. Start chest compressions
- Kneel next to the person's neck and shoulders.
- Position both of your hands (lower palms) on top of each other in the middle of the person’s chest.
- Compress (push straight down) the chest at least 2 inches (5 cm) but no more than 2.4 inches (6 cm).
- Use your entire body weight (not just your arms) to deliver pressure at a rate of at least 100 compressions per minute.
- Push hard and fast.
- Allow a few seconds after each push so that the chest springs back.
6. Deliver rescue breaths
- Tilt the person's head back, lift their chin, pinch their nose shut, and place your mouth over their mouth to make a complete seal.
- After mouth-to-mouth contact, blow to make the person’s chest rise.
- If the chest rises, deliver a second breath.
- Deliver at least two rescue breaths first, then continue compressions.
7. Continue CPR steps
- Continue with the chest compressions cycles and breathing until:
- The person exhibits signs of life, such as breathing or movement.
- An AED becomes available.
- Emergency medical services or a trained medical responder arrives on the scene and takes over.
What is the most common reason CPR is needed?
CPR is needed if a person is unconscious, not breathing, or breathing abnormally
Critical components of a high-quality CPR include the following
- Minimize interruptions in chest compressions
- Provide chest compressions of adequate depth and rate
- Do not lean on the victim between compressions
- Ensure proper hand placement
- Avoid excessive ventilation
Who can perform CPR?
According to the AHA, CPR techniques differ depending on the level of training an individual has:
- Trained healthcare providers
- Conventional CPR consists of chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing at a ratio of 30:2 compressions-to-breaths.
- For an average adult victim, rescuers should perform chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute and not more than a depth of at least 2 inches (5 cm).
- General public or bystanders
- Compression-only/hands-only CPR without mouth-to-mouth (rescue) breaths is recommended to use when you see a teen or an adult suddenly collapse in an out-of-hospital setting (home, work, or a park).
- Compression-only/hands-only CPR consists of two easy steps:
- Call an emergency medical service
- Push hard, fast, and firm in the center of the chest (between the nipples)
![](https://images.medicinenet.com//images/slideshow/8-first-aid-essentials-for-car-or-purse-s1-photo-of-tweezers-used-to-remove-splinter.jpg)
SLIDESHOW
8 First Aid Kit Essentials for Scrapes, Cuts, Bug Bites, and More See SlideshowWhat is CPR? American Heart Association https://cpr.heart.org/en/resources/what-is-cpr
CPR Steps. American Red Cross https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/cpr/performing-cpr/cpr-steps
Part 7: CPR Techniques and Devices. NIH https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3741663/
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): First aid. Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cpr/basics/art-20056600
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