Free CPR Instructions

Hopefully you will never be in a situation that requires you to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). But this lifesaving process can successfully save a life in an unexpected emergency. CPR is a way of breathing for someone who is unable to breathe independently, saving a person who has drowned, suffered a heart attack or choked. If you have any understanding of CPR, trying is always better than standing by, as CPR can be used on adults, children, and even babies, with a few adjustments.

Instructions

CPR on an Adult or Young Child

• 1

  Chest compressions can help someone who is not breathing.

  Check the victim for responsiveness. If the person is not breathing normally, call 911 and stay with the victim. Begin chest compressions. Place the heel of one hand flat on the victim's breastbone in the center of the chest. Put your other hand on top of the first and interlace your fingers. Push down on the victim's chest two inches. Allow the victim's chest to rise and then push down again. Continue pumping this way 30 times, hard and fast. Pump at a rate of 100 pumps a minute.

• 2

  Rescue breaths into a victim's mouth helps in an emergency.

  Tilt the victim's head back, lifting the chin upward. Pinch the victim's nose and cover the mouth completely with yours. Blow into the victim's mouth until you see the chest rise. After the chest falls, blow again. Continue alternating the 30 chest compressions and the two rescue breaths for two minutes or five cycles. If a second rescuer is present, one person should pump the chest five times while the second person blows one rescue breath, repeating the cycle for two minutes.

• 3

  Stop the cycles if the victim begins breathing.

  Check if the victim is breathing. Continue the compressions and rescue breaths if the victim is not breathing. Check the victim every two minutes and stop the cycles if the victim begins to breathe. Continue the cycles, if necessary, until help arrives. Use the same steps for a child under the age of nine, but compress the chest with one hand and breathe more gently.

CPR on a Baby

• 4

  Place the baby on a flat surface.

  Tell someone to call 911 rather than calling yourself. Conduct CPR for one minute first if you must call 911 yourself. Place the baby face up on a firm surface. Remove any blockage from the baby's mouth using a sweep of your finger. Clear the airway from food, the baby's tongue or anything else that may prevent air from flowing in.

• 5

  Place two fingers in the center of her chest, just below the nipples. Press the chest down an inch and a half and allow it to rise. Continue pumping the chest 30 times at a rate of 100 pumps per minute. Check if the baby is breathing by watching the chest or putting your cheek near the baby's mouth.

• 6

  Continue chest compressions and rescue breaths until an ambulance arrives.

  Continue CPR if the baby is still not breathing. Place one hand on the baby's forehead and gently tilt the baby's head back, lifting the chin with your other hand. Cover the baby's nose and mouth with your mouth, creating a seal. Blow two gentle, one-second rescue breaths into the baby's mouth. Continue alternating chest compressions and rescue breaths until help arrives.