Instructions to Perform CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, can be used when a person's heartbeat or breathing has stopped due to a medical condition or accident, such as a heart attack or near-drowning. CPR can save someone's life by maintaining the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain and other vital organs until regular heartbeat and breathing are restored. For adults and children, CPR may involve chest compressions or a combination of chest compressions and rescue breathing, which must be maintained until emergency medical technicians or other healthcare providers arrive. While CPR training courses offering professional certification are available, an overview of basic CPR skills may help you sufficiently during an emergency situation.

Instructions

Adults and Children Over Age One

• 1

  Determine if the person is conscious or unconscious before beginning CPR steps. Tap or shake the person's arm or shoulder and loudly ask if he is "OK" or if he can hear you, suggests Mayo Clinic.com.

• 2

  Call 911 or another emergency service before beginning CPR. Emergency service dispatchers are trained in CPR and can guide you through the steps as you wait for emergency medical technicians to arrive.

• 3

  Position the person on her back on a firm surface and kneel down next to her.

• 4

  Place the heel of one hand over the center of the person's chest between the nipples. Place your other hand on top of the first with your elbows straight and arms directly below the shoulders.

• 5

  Press down on the person's chest using your upper body weight until the person's chest compresses at least 2 inches. Deliver 30 chest compressions to maintain adequate blood flow to the vital organs.

• 6

  Tilt the person's head back gently and lift his chin forward to open his airway. For no more than five to ten seconds, check for signs of breathing, such as chest motion or breath sounds. If the person is not breathing normally, prepare to deliver rescue breaths.

• 7

  Pinch the person's nostrils shut and make sure the chin is tilted forward to open the airway.

• 8

  Breathe into the person's mouth for one second and observe whether or not the chest rises. If the chest rises, deliver a second rescue breath. If the chest does not rise, tilt the forehead back and the chin forward to reopen the airway before delivering the second rescue breath.

• 9

  Repeat the cycle of 30 chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths until emergency medical technicians arrive.

Infants Under the Age of 12 Months

• 10

  Position infant on flat surface, such as the floor, ground or a table.

• 11

  Use two fingers of one hand to compress the center of the infant's chest just below the nipples. Press down with fingers to compress the infant's chest 1-1/2 inches.

• 12

  Deliver 30 compressions while tipping the infants head back to open the airway. Compressions should take no longer than 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, check for signs of breathing.

• 13

  Cover the infant's nose and mouth with your mouth. Use your cheeks to deliver a gentle puff of air into the infant's airway while watching to see if the chest rises. Deliver a second rescue breath if the chest rises. If the chest does not rise, check the airway for obstruction by looking into the mouth and throat, and tilt the head back and the chin forward again before delivering the second rescue breath.

• 14

  Repeat the cycle of 30 chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths for at least two minutes before calling emergency services, unless there is another person available to make the call while you deliver CPR. Continue CPR until emergency medical technicians arrive.