What Is CPR 100 Plan?

CPR 100 is a hands-only CPR technique for people who are not trained in CPR or who have not performed or practiced CPR in a while. While full CPR requires rescue breathing between sets of chest compression to restore circulation, CPR 100 uses only chest compressions of about 100 per minute.

Call 911

• If you are alone, perform CPR 100 for a minute before you call 911.

  Check to see if the person is conscious or unconscious. Tap or shake her shoulder and ask if she is ok. If no response is given, have someone call 911 for emergency assistance. If you are alone and suspect the person has suffocated or lost consciousness by drowning, perform chest compressions for about a minute and then call 911.

Look, Listen and Feel

• Clearing airways, rescue breathing and chest compressions are practiced on CPR dummies.

  Look, listen and feel for breath and pulse. If the patient is not breathing and does not have a pulse, start chest compressions. If a person is unconscious, it is always best to check to see if his airway is obstructed. Look in his mouth and remove any obstructions such as food or foreign objects. Clearing obstructed airways is taught in CPR classes.

Chest Compressions

• Perform eight compressions every five seconds.

  Start chest compressions. These instructions are for adults. Place the heel of one palm over the center of the person's chest (between their nipples). Place your other hand over the first, and push down and release. Repeat at a rate of about eight compressions every five seconds--that works out to about 100 per minute. Continue until help arrives or until the person starts to move. Note that the chest compressions may dislodge airway obstructions. Check the victim's mouth for any possible obstructions and remove them. Continue the chest compressions. If you are giving rescue breaths, give two breaths after every thirty chest compressions.

Children One Through Eight

• For children one through eight, use less force.

  Perform chest compressions at a rate of about eight every five seconds. Use only one hand instead of two so you don't break their rib cage. If you are giving rescue breaths, breathe less forcefully. Continue until help arrives or the child begins to move. Children and infants are more likely to have an airway obstruction so make sure you check in their mouths for any objects that might have been dislodged by the chest compressions.

Infants

• A common cause of infants not breathing is choking.

  Check the mouth and upper throat for airway obstruction. Remove any food or foreign objects. Place the infant on his back on a hard, flat surface. Imagine a line drawn between his nipples, and place two fingers in the middle of his chest just below the line. Compress hard enough to push in about 1/3 the depth of his chest. Continue at a rate of about eight compressions every five seconds until help arrives or the infant starts to move. You can safely give more than 100 compressions per minute with an infant because their heart beat is faster than an adult's. If a hard surface is not available, grasp the infant around the chest with both hands and place your thumbs in the center of their chest. Perform the compressions with your thumbs instead of your fingers.

Considerations

• Chest compressions at a rate of 100 per minute without rescue breathing is easy to remember and implement. Rescue breaths given too frequently or forcefully may cause the patient to vomit. Remember even for CPR with rescue breaths, the recommended rate of chest compressions is 100 per minute, or eight compressions every five seconds.