Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a lifesaving technique useful in many emergencies, including heart attack or near drowning, in which someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped.
Ideally, CPR involves two elements: chest compressions combined with mouth-to-mouth rescue breathing (see the link below for more detail).
However, what you as a bystander actually should do in an emergency situation really depends on your knowledge and comfort level. The bottom line is that it's far better to do something than to do nothing at all if you're fearful that your knowledge or abilities aren't 100 percent complete. Remember, the difference between your doing something and doing nothing could be someone's life.
Here's the latest advice from the American Heart Association - it applies only to adults needing CPR, not to children:
CPR can keep oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs until more definitive medical treatment can restore a normal heart rhythm. When the heart stops, the absence of oxygenated blood can cause irreparable brain damage in only a few minutes. Death will occur within eight to 10 minutes. Time is critical when you're helping an unconscious person who isn't breathing.
To learn CPR properly, take an accredited first-aid training course, including CPR and how to use an automatic external defibrillator (AED). tLearn more about CPR.
