How to Perform CPR

Before I even get started here, I want to say this: the best way to learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is to take a class. But just in case you never get to take a class, or it’s been a while since you got certified and want a refresher, here it is.

First things first: make sure you are safe. Don’t start CPR in the middle of a busy highway, for example. But also make sure you take universal precautions to protect yourself against communicable diseases. Universal precautions include:

1. Wash your hands before and after any emergency medical action.
2. Wear gloves if possible — especially if you’ll be coming into contact with blood or other bodily fluids.
3. Wear a face mask and eye protection if possible — especially if there is a possibility of blood splashing into your face.

Back when I learned CPR, we were taught the three Cs:

• Check: see if the victim is breathing and if their heart is beating. See if you can wake them. Some experts suggest rubbing your knuckles against the victim’s sternum to try to wake them up.
• Call: call 911
• Care: if the victim has not awakened, you may need to start rescue breathing and/or chest compressions.

How to perform rescue breathing (also known as artificial respiration):

1. Open the victim’s airway by tilting their head back by lifting the chin.
2. Look for chest movement. Put your ear close to the victim’s mouth to see if you can hear or feel air flowing.
3. If there is no breathing, pinch the nose closed and place your mouth over the victim’s mouth. Give a breath big enough to make the chest rise.
4. Let the chest fall, then repeat.

How to perform chest compressions:

1. Place the heel of your hand in the middle of the victim’s chest. Cover one hand with the other hand with fingers interlaced.
2. Compress the chest approximately one and a half to two inches (four to five centimeters).
3. Allow the chest to completely recoil, then compress again. Try not to let your hands bounce off the chest; keep the heel of your hand in contact as the chest recoils.
4. Perform thirty compressions.

For a combination of chest compressions and rescue breathing, alternate thirty compressions with one breath and repeat until the victim begins breathing or help arrives. If you aren’t comfortable with rescue breathing, you should still perform chest compressions on a victim who is not breathing and whose heart has stopped.