CPR & AED

LESSON 10 min read Video How Do You Perform CPR on an Adult? If an adult is unresponsive and not breathing normally — gasping counts as not breathing — call 911 immediately and put the phone on speaker. Begin compressions immediately — do not delay to check for a pulse. Push on the lower half of the breastbone at least 2 inches deep, 100 to 120 times a minute, letting the chest come all the way back up between pushes. Give 2 breaths after every 30 compressions if you are willing and able; if not, keep doing compressions without stopping until help arrives. Start → LESSON 7 min read Video How Do You Perform CPR on a Child? CPR on a child — anyone from about one year old to puberty — follows the adult sequence with three changes. Use one or two hands instead of two, push about 2 inches deep or roughly a third of the chest's depth, and if a second trained rescuer is helping, switch to 15 compressions per 2 breaths instead of 30. Children usually stop breathing before their heart stops, so breaths matter more here than they do for an adult. If you are alone with no phone, give about 2 minutes of CPR before you leave to call for help. Start → LESSON 7 min read Video How Do You Perform CPR on a Baby? For a baby under one year, tap the foot rather than the shoulder to check for a response. If there's no response and no normal breathing, start CPR — do not check for a pulse. Compress the chest with two thumbs, hands encircling the chest, or with the heel of one hand, about 1.5 inches deep and 100 to 120 times a minute. Give 2 breaths after every 30 compressions, covering the baby's nose and mouth with your mouth and using small puffs rather than full breaths. If you are alone with no phone, give about 2 minutes of CPR before leaving to call. Start → LESSON 5 min read Video When Is Hands-Only CPR Enough? Hands-only CPR means chest compressions with no rescue breaths, and it is the recommended approach for an untrained bystander, or for anyone unwilling or unable to give breaths, when an adult or teenager collapses suddenly. Push on the lower half of the breastbone at least 2 inches deep, 100 to 120 times a minute, without stopping until help arrives. It is not the right choice for children, infants, drowning, or an overdose — those emergencies start with a breathing problem, and they need breaths as well as compressions. Start → LESSON 7 min read Video How Do You Use an AED? Turn the AED on first and then do what it says — it speaks each step aloud and will not let you shock someone who doesn't need it. Bare the chest, using the scissors in the lid if you need them, and stick the pads on as shown in the diagram. Stand clear while it analyzes the heart rhythm, press the flashing button if it tells you to, and go straight back to chest compressions afterward. It'll re-check the rhythm roughly every two minutes. Start → LESSON 4 min read Video Can You Use an AED on a Child? Yes. Using an AED on a child works almost exactly the same way as using one on an adult — turn it on and follow what it says. If the case holds pediatric pads, use those and place them as their diagram shows. If it only has adult pads, you may still use them on a child, but put one pad on the upper right chest and the other on the back so the two pads never touch. AEDs are not used on babies under one year old. Start → LESSON 6 min read Video How Do You Use an Ambu Bag? An ambu bag, or bag-valve mask, delivers rescue breaths during CPR without mouth-to-mouth contact. Seat the narrow end of the mask over the bridge of the nose and the wide end on the chin, then hold it with your thumb and index finger while your other three fingers pull the jaw up into the mask. Squeeze the bag for about 1 second per breath and watch the chest rise, giving 2 breaths after every 30 compressions. Use the size that matches the person — adult, child or infant. Start → LESSON 6 min read How Do You Know Someone Is in Cardiac Arrest? Two things, and nothing else: the person doesn't respond when you tap them and shout, and they aren't breathing normally. Slow, irregular gasping — sometimes described as gurgling, snoring or agonal breathing — isn't normal breathing, and it's common in the first minutes of cardiac arrest. Look at the chest for no more than 10 seconds. Do not check for a pulse: pulse checks are unreliable even for trained rescuers and every second spent on one delays chest compressions. Start → LESSON 8 min read What Changed in the 2025 CPR Guidelines? Most of CPR is unchanged — the 30:2 cycle, hand placement, compression depth and the reasons behind them all still stand. Three things moved. Infant compressions are now done with two thumbs encircling the chest, or the heel of one hand, instead of two fingers. Lay rescuers no longer check for a pulse: the test is unresponsive and not breathing normally. And a lone rescuer with an adult calls 911 immediately rather than after five cycles, though the two-minutes-first rule for children and infants without a phone is unchanged. Start → LESSON 6 min read How Do You Put Someone in the Recovery Position? The recovery position is for someone who is unresponsive but breathing normally. Roll them onto their side so the mouth points slightly downward and fluid can drain, with the head supported, the airway open, the chest free to move and no weight resting on the lower arm. Call 911, stay with them, and keep watching the breathing — if it stops or becomes gasping, roll them onto their back and start CPR. If someone isn't breathing normally, this isn't the position for them. Start →