How is CPR performed? Your best course of action depends on your skill level, and the age of the victim. The directions below are for an adult.

To perform CPR on an adult:

• If you’ve never received CPR training, or once had training but aren’t sure you remember how to do it, perform chest compressions on the person at a rate of roughly 100 per minute until help arrives.
  • To perform chest compressions:
    • Lay the person on his back on a flat, firm surface.
    • Kneeling beside his neck and shoulders, put the heel of one of your hands on the middle of his chest (the place midway between his nipples). Cover that hand with your other hand, keeping your elbows straight and your shoulders directly above your hands’ location.
    • Push straight down on the chest, using your upper body weight. Compress the chest by at least two inches. Keep pushing hard at a rate of roughly 100 compressions per minute until medical help arrives, or the person begins to move.
• If you have received CPR training and are confident in your ability to perform CPR:
  • Give the person 30 chest compressions.
  • Open the person’s airway. To do this:
    • Put your palm on his forehead and tilt his head back gently. With your other hand, lift his chin forward gently.
    • Take 5 to 10 seconds to check to see if he’s breathing normally. Is his chest rising and falling? Is he making normal breath sounds? (Gasping isn’t normal.) Can you feel his breath on your ear and cheek?
    • If he isn’t breathing, and you don’t believe he’s had a heart attack, begin doing mouth-to-mouth breathing. If you think he’s had a heart attack and you have not received training for such an emergency, continue with the chest compressions instead.
      • To perform mouth-to-mouth breathing:
        • After opening the person’s airway (hyperlink to “Open the person’s airway” section), pinch his nostrils shut and put your mouth over his, forming a complete seal around it.
        • Breathe into his mouth for one second, watching to see if his chest rises—this is called a ‘rescue breath’. When the chest rises, you know that the person is receiving air. If his chest rises, perform a second rescue breath. If his chest doesn’t rise, try to open the airway again. (Hyperlink to “Open the person’s airway” section.) Thirty chest compressions, followed by two rescue breaths, is what’s called ‘a cycle.’
        • If, after 5 cycles (this should take roughly two minutes), the person hasn’t started moving, see if an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) is available—this device can restart a stopped heart by delivering an electrical charge to the victim’s chest. If no AED is on hand, continue CPR until help arrives or the person starts moving. If you can locate an AED, however, follow the directions to administer one shock. You may also ask a 911 operator for AED guidance.
        • After administering the AED shock, resume performing CPR, starting with chest compressions. After two minutes, use the AED to deliver a second shock. If someone is with you, you should rotate doing CPR every two minutes.