Hands-Only CPR

You can save a life. Learn how!

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When a person has a cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from someone nearby.

If you need to give CPR in an emergency, you will most likely be trying to save the life of someone you love: a child, a spouse, a parent or a friend.

According to the American Heart Association, Hands-Only CPR has been shown to be as effective in the first few minutes as conventional CPR for cardiac arrest at home, at work or in public.

Learn the two simple Hands-Only CPR steps:

May contain: clothing, glove, body part, hand, person, food, and ketchup — **1. Call 9-1-1 if you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse.**

May contain: sign, symbol, food, and ketchup — **2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of a familiar song that has 100 to 120 beats per minute.**

See Hands-Only CPR in action here:

Do you have access to an AED? See how to use it alongside Hands-Only CPR here:

CPR by the numbers:

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350,000 EMS assessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States annually.

Over 70 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in homes.

Only about 40 percent of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receive the immediate help that they need before professional help arrives.

About 90 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests die. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.

3-5 minutes after collapse — the time goal of every AED program to deliver defibrillation to a cardiac arrest victim.

95.4 percent — The amount of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests patients who received their first defibrillation by first responder personnel or EMS.

2-1/3 miles — The distance responders can travel in an average residential area (35 mph) and arrive within 5 minutes. This includes a minute to be dispatched and leave the station. This distance decreases to 1-3/4 miles at night.

7 to 10 percent — The amount a victim's chance of survival decreases for every minute the victim goes without defibrillation.

Chain of Survival

The 6 links in the adult out-of-hospital Chain of Survival are:

Recognition of cardiac arrest and activation of the emergency response system
Early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with an emphasis on chest compressions
Rapid defibrillation
Advanced resuscitation by Emergency Medical Services and other healthcare providers
Post-cardiac arrest care
Recovery (including additional treatment, observation, rehabilitation, and psychological support)

A strong Chain of Survival can improve chances of survival and recovery for victims of cardiac arrest. Our responders are often the first to provide CPR, rapid defibrillation, advanced resuscitation by paramedics, and rapid transport to an appropriate hospital.

Source: American Heart Association