What is cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR?

And when is it applied?

And what are his steps?

The answers are in this comprehensive report on this important first aid procedure, with videos explaining its practical steps.

In this report, we presented videos from the Qatar Red Crescent, Royal Life Saving Australia and St John Ambulance, with a special infographic on the state of recovery.

We note here that this information is general and for guidance only, and is not a substitute for a doctor or emergency call when a medical condition occurs. For more details, you can contact health care providers in your country for CPR training.

What is CPR?

CPR is a first aid technique that can be used if a person is not breathing properly, or if their heart has stopped, according to the Australian government's health direct website.

CPR includes:

  • Chest compressions.

  • mouth-to-mouth breaths, or rescue breaths.

This helps distribute blood and oxygen in the body.

This can help keep the brain and vital organs alive.

What cases require CPR?

You should begin CPR if the person:

  • Unconscious.

  • Not responding to you.

  • Not breathing, or breathing abnormally.

Try to remain calm if you need to perform CPR, and start it as soon as possible.

How to perform CPR for adults

Before beginning CPR, do the following:

  • Ensure that the patient and everyone in the area is safe, and do not expose yourself or others to danger, such as electric current or fire.

  • Look for a response from the patient, ask aloud their name, and tap their shoulder.

  • If the patient does not respond, get help and call 911, tell someone else to call 911, or call yourself, but never leave the patient alone and do not delay CPR.

  • Check the person's airways, and that there is nothing in the mouth and throat.

    Remove any obvious obstruction in the mouth or nose, such as vomit, blood, or food, then gently tilt the person's head back, and lift their chin.

  • Check if the person is breathing abnormally, or not at all 10 seconds after the previous step.

    If the person is breathing normally, put them in the recovery position, and stay with them.

  • If he is not breathing at all, or not breathing normally, begin CPR.

    Chest compression is the most important part of the CPR process, so begin chest compressions as soon as possible after calling for help.

CPR steps for adults

chest compressions

  • Lay the patient on his or her back, and bend to his side.

  • Place the bottom of your palm (the heel of your hand) on the lower half of the sternum in the middle of the person's chest, then place your other hand on top of the first and interlock your fingers.

  • Place your body above the patient's chest.

  • Using your body weight (not just your arms), and keeping your arms straight, press your chest straight down about a third of the depth of your chest.

  • Decompress the chest, and allow the chest to return to its original position.

  • Each press down and decompress is one compression.

Giving mouth-to-mouth breath:

  • Open the person's airway by placing one hand on the forehead or on top of the head, and the other hand under the chin to tilt the head back.

  • Press the soft part of the nose closed with your index and thumb fingers.

  • Open the person's mouth with your thumb and fingers.

  • Take a breath and place your lips over the patient's mouth, ensuring good insulation, so that no air escapes during the inflation.

  • Blow steadily into the person's mouth for one second, watching their chest rise.

  • After breathing, look at the patient's chest and watch for their descent.

    Listen and notice for signs of air being expelled, while maintaining a tilted head and chin-up position.

  • If the patient's chest does not rise when blowing, check the mouth again and remove any obstructions.

    Make sure to tilt the head and lift the chin to open the airway, make sure your mouth and the patient's mouth are closed together and your nose is closed so that no air can escape.

    Take another breath and repeat.

  • Give 30 presses followed by two breaths, this mechanism is known as "30:2".

    Aim for 5 sets of "30:2" in about 2 minutes (if you're doing 100-120 push-ups per minute).

Hold the pressure 30 times, then 2 breaths, until:

  • The person recovers, begins to move, breathe normally, cough or talk, and then put him or her in the recovery position.

  • The arrival of the ambulance.

The recovery position is a position in which the airway remains open, and any vomiting will empty without entering the airway.

Before placing the person in the recovery position, make sure that he is breathing, and that he does not suffer from spinal injuries.

The steps for recovery mode, which are shown in the attached video from the St John Ambulance website

  • If the person wears glasses or has bulky items in their pockets, remove them.

  • Place the arm closest to you at a right angle to the body, with the elbow bent and the person's palm facing up.

  • Bring his other arm across his chest, and place the palm of his hand on the cheek closest to you.

    Hold it there.

  • With your other hand, pull his far knee up, so that his foot is flat on the ground.

  • Keeping the palm of the victim's hand pressed against the cheek, pull the far leg to roll the casualty toward you to the side.

    You can then adjust the upper leg so that it is at a right angle.

  • Gently tilt the casualty's head back and lift his chin to make sure the airway remains open.

    You can adjust the hand under the cheek to do this.

  • If the person has been in the recovery position for 30 minutes, wrap them up and place them in the recovery position on the other side.

CPR for children over one year old

Use these instructions only if the baby's chest is too small for you to use both hands to apply pressure.

Otherwise, use the adult CPR guidelines above.

Chest compressions for children over one year old:

  • Lay the child on his back and bend over to his side.

  • Place the bottom of one palm on the lower half of the breastbone, in the middle (the size of the child will determine whether you perform CPR with one hand or two hands).

  • Position yourself (your body position) above the baby's chest.

  • Keeping your arm or arms straight, press straight down on the chest about a third of the depth of the chest.

  • Decompress the chest, and allow the chest to return to its original position.

  • Each press down and decompress is one compression.

Giving mouth-to-mouth to a child over one year of age:

  • Open the child's airway by placing one hand on the forehead or on top of the head and the other hand under the chin to tilt the head back.

  • Press the soft part of the nose closed with your index finger and thumb.

  • Open the baby's mouth with your thumb and fingers.

  • Take a breath and place your lips over the child's mouth, ensuring that it is tightly closed.

  • Blow steadily into his mouth for one second, watching the chest rise.

  • After breathing, look at the child's chest and watch for his descent.

    Listen for signs of air being expelled, while maintaining a tilted head and chin-up position.

  • If the child's chest does not rise, check the mouth again and remove any obstructions.

    Make sure to tilt the head and lift the chin to open the airway.

    Make sure your mouth and the baby's mouth are closed together, and your nose is closed so that air does not escape easily.

    Take another breath and repeat.

  • Give 30 presses followed by two breaths, this mechanism is known as "30:2".

    Aim for 5 sets of 30:2 in about 2 minutes (if you're doing 100-120 pushups per minute).

Hold 30 compressions, then 2 breaths, until:

  • The child recovers, begins to move, breathe normally, cough or talk.

  • The arrival of the ambulance.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation for children under one year

Chest compressions for children under one year of age:

  • Lay the child/infant on their back.

  • Place two fingers on the lower half of the breastbone in the middle of the chest and press down about a third of the depth of the chest (you may need to use one hand to perform CPR depending on the size of the infant).

  • Decompress the chest, and allow it to return to its original position.

  • Each press down and decompression is one compression.

Giving mouth-to-mouth to a child under one year of age:

  • Tilt the baby's/infant's head back slightly.

  • Lift the baby/baby's chin up, being careful not to rest your hands on his throat as this will stop air from entering his lungs from mouth to mouth.

  • Take a breath and cover the baby's mouth and nose with your mouth, ensuring a good seal.

  • Inflate steadily for about 1 second, watching the chest rise.

  • After breathing, look at the baby's chest and watch it fall.

    Listen and notice the signs that the air is expelled.

  • If his chest does not rise, check his mouth and nose again, and remove any obstructions.

    Make sure his head is in a neutral position to open the airway, and that no air is leaking when breathing through the mouth and nose.

    Take another breath and repeat.

  • Give 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths. This mechanism is known as "30:2".

    Aim for 5 sets of "30:2" in about 2 minutes (if you're doing 100-120 push-ups per minute).

Hold the pressure 30 times, then 2 breaths, until:

  • The child/infant recovers, begins to move, breathe normally, cough, cry or respond.

  • The arrival of the ambulance.