CPR

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here

Learn More

• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Images

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children

Summary

When someone's blood flow or breathing stops, seconds count. Permanent brain damage or death can happen quickly. If you know how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), you could save a life. CPR is an emergency procedure for a person whose heart has stopped or is no longer breathing. CPR can maintain circulation and breathing until emergency medical help arrives.

Even if you haven't had training, you can do "hands-only" CPR for a teen or adult whose heart has stopped beating ("hands-only" CPR isn't recommended for children). "Hands-only" CPR uses chest compressions to keep blood circulating until emergency help arrives. If you've had training, you can use chest compressions, clear the airway, and do rescue breathing. Rescue breathing helps get oxygen to the lungs for a person who has stopped breathing. To keep your skills up, you should repeat the training every two years.

Start Here

• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR): First Aid (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• What Is CPR? (American Heart Association)

Specifics

• Adult First Aid/CPR/AED Ready Reference (American Red Cross) - PDF
• Hands-Only CPR (American Heart Association)

Images

• CPR - adult - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• CPR - child 1 to 8 years old - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• CPR - infant - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• CPR Facts and Stats (American Heart Association)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Survival Following Lay Resuscitation.
• Article: Comparison of the effects of shortening rest intervals on the quality...
• Article: Community-level socioeconomic status and outcomes of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest:...
• CPR -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Heart Association
• American Red Cross Also in Spanish
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Children

• CPR (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
• CPR: A Real Lifesaver (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation)
• Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED Ready Reference (American Red Cross) - PDF