What is Hands-Only CPR?

Up to 80 percent of sudden cardiac arrests occur at home or work or in a private setting. And most people who are called upon to perform CPR in these types of emergencies are trying to save the life of someone they know very well such as a friend, coworker, a child, a spouse or a parent. But because people are not always prepared to perform CPR, only about 41 percent of these folks are able to get the immediate help they need before emergency help can arrive. This is why it is so important for everyone to learn Compression Only CPR.

Saving a Life is Simple

Compression only CPR is easy and it saves lives. Compression-only CPR is performed without using mouth-to-mouth breaths, making it a very simple easy-to-accomplish process. It is recommended for use by a bystander when a teen or adult suddenly collapses and there are no medical personnel present, such as at home, at work or outdoors. It consists of two easy steps:

  1. Call 9-1-1 (or make sure someone is doing that).
  2. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest.

Check out this interactive video from Heart Rescue Now to walk through the step-by-step process for saving a life in the instance of sudden cardiac arrest!

Don’t be afraid of CPR

About 70 percent of Americans report that they feel helpless during a cardiac emergency because they are not familiar with how to perform CPR or they are afraid of harming the victim. But the sad fact is that most people who experience cardiac arrest at home, at work or in a public location die simply because there are no bystanders who feel able to perform CPR.

Save Lives Sonoma’s message to you is that your actions can only help, don’t be afraid to push hard and fast at the center of the chest until help arrives. You could save a life.

Call 911 or have someone else call 911. If two rescuers are present, one can provide CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) while the other calls 911 and gets the AED.

Check the person’s breathing and pulse. If breathing and pulse are absent or irregular, prepare to use the AED as soon as possible. (SCA causes death if it’s not treated within minutes.)

If no one knows how long the person has been unconscious, or if an AED isn’t readily available, do 2 minutes of CPR. Then use the AED (if you have one) to check the person.

After you use the AED, or if you don’t have an AED, give CPR until emergency medical help arrives or until the person begins to move. Try to limit pauses in CPR.

After 2 minutes of CPR, you can use the AED again to check the person’s heart rhythm and give another shock, if needed. If a shock isn’t needed, continue CPR.