CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is an emergency skill used when a person is unresponsive and not breathing normally. It helps move oxygen-rich blood to the brain and other organs until trained medical help arrives. Learning the basics matters because quick action from a bystander can greatly improve a person’s chance of survival.
Students should always follow school safety rules, get an adult, and call emergency services right away.
Key Facts
- Check, call, compress: check for responsiveness and breathing, call emergency services, then start chest compressions if needed.
- Compression rate for adults and teens: 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
- Compression depth for adults and teens: about 5 to 6 cm, or about 2 inches.
- Hand placement: place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest, with the other hand on top.
- Allow full chest recoil after each compression so the heart can refill with blood.
- Use an AED as soon as it is available and follow its voice or screen instructions.
Vocabulary
- CPR
- CPR is an emergency procedure that uses chest compressions, and sometimes rescue breaths, to help circulate blood when the heart is not pumping effectively.
- AED
- An AED is an automated external defibrillator that can check heart rhythm and give an electric shock if needed.
- Chest compression
- A chest compression is a firm push on the center of the chest that helps move blood through the body.
- Cardiac arrest
- Cardiac arrest is a life-threatening emergency in which the heart suddenly stops pumping blood effectively.
- Bystander
- A bystander is a person nearby who may be able to help during an emergency before professionals arrive.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Waiting too long to call emergency services: CPR is not a replacement for professional medical care, so help should be called immediately.
- Pressing too slowly or too fast: compressions outside the 100 to 120 per minute range may move blood less effectively.
- Leaning on the chest between compressions: this prevents full recoil and can reduce blood flow back into the heart.
- Stopping compressions for long pauses: frequent or long interruptions reduce circulation to the brain and organs.
Practice Questions
- 1 A student performs CPR at 110 compressions per minute for 2 minutes. How many compressions are completed?
- 2 During practice on a mannequin, a class completes 330 compressions in 3 minutes. What is the compression rate in compressions per minute, and is it in the recommended 100 to 120 range?
- 3 A helper finds an unresponsive person who is not breathing normally, and an AED is visible on the wall nearby. Explain the safest sequence of actions the helper should take.