CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) can help save a life during a breathing or cardiac emergency. Unfortunately, very few people are trained in CPR. Some may even find it difficult to remember how it is administered correctly during an emergency. Having a simple step by step guide can help you remember the process.

Before giving CPR

Check the scene and the individual in need of CPR. Make sure the person is in a safe place. Tap their shoulders and ask them if they are okay. This will confirm if they need your help or not. Next call 911 for assistance. If the person needs assistance, call emergency medical services or have someone nearby do it.

Send someone to get an AED (automatic emergency defibrillator) if one is available. If the person is non-responsive, open the airway. To lift the chin, make sure the person is lying on their back before tilting the head back slightly. Check for breathing by carefully listening for breathing sounds for about 10 seconds. Sounds resulting from occasional gasping do not mean the person is breathing. Begin CPR if the person is not breathing.

CPR steps

Place your hands on top of each other in the middle of the chest. Administer compressions using your body weight for assistance. The compressions should be administered at a rate of about 100 per minute and should be at least 2 inches deep. With the affected individual’s head titled back slightly and their chin lifted, place your mouth over the person and pinch the nose shut. Blow into the mouth to make the chest rise. Rescue breaths should be delivered twice before resuming compressions. Keep performing cycles of breathing and compressions until the person shows signs of life. Alternatively, do this until the EMS, AED becomes available or trained medical responder arrives on the scene.

Note

If the chest did not rise with an initial rescue breath, re-tilt the person head before doing the second breath. If the chest fails to rise with the second breath, the individual may be choking. Look for an object, and remove it if found. These CPR steps can be used on someone who has suffered from sudden cardiac arrest.