First Aid and Medical Skills / Survival Skills

How to Do CPR: Hands-Only and With Breaths

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Quick answer

  • If a teen or adult collapses and is not breathing normally, call 911 and send someone for an AED.
  • Push hard and fast in the center of the chest: at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep, 100 to 120 times a minute.
  • Use the AED as soon as it arrives and follow its voice prompts.
  • If you are trained, give 2 breaths after every 30 compressions.
  • Keep going until the person breathes normally or trained help takes over.

This guide is general information, not medical training. Call 911 in an emergency, and take a hands-on first aid class from the Red Cross or AHA.

CPR keeps blood moving to the brain when the heart stops. MedlinePlus notes that brain damage can start after about 4 minutes without blood flow. That is why the first person on the scene matters most.

The American Heart Association (AHA) says CPR, especially when started right away, can double or triple a person’s chance of survival. It also says about 70% of cardiac arrests outside the hospital happen at home. The person you save will most likely be someone you know.

Before you start: check, call, get an AED

These steps follow the American Red Cross and AHA.

  1. Check the scene. Make sure it is safe for you to approach.
  2. Check the person. Tap their shoulder and shout. The Red Cross calls this “shout-tap-shout.”
  3. Look for breathing. Gasping is not normal breathing. Check for no more than 10 seconds.
  4. Call 911. If someone else is there, point at them and tell them to call. Send another person to find an AED.
  5. Put your phone on speaker. Then your hands are free while you talk to the dispatcher.

MedlinePlus gives two warnings here. Do not start compressions if the person is breathing normally, coughing or moving. And unless you are a health professional, do not waste time checking for a pulse.

If you are alone, do not leave to search for an AED unless you know one is close by.

Hands-only CPR (for teens and adults)

The AHA recommends Hands-Only CPR for a teen or adult who suddenly collapses. It has two steps: call 911, then push hard and fast in the center of the chest. The Red Cross says it is meant for people who are not trained in full CPR.

How to do it

  1. Lay the person on their back on a firm, flat surface. The floor is better than a bed or couch.
  2. Kneel beside them with your knees close to their body, about shoulder-width apart.
  3. Put the heel of one hand in the center of the chest. Put your other hand on top and lace your fingers. Keep your fingers off the chest.
  4. Lock your elbows. Keep your shoulders straight over your hands.
  5. Push down at least 2 inches (5 cm).
  6. Push at 100 to 120 compressions per minute.
  7. Let the chest come all the way back up after each push.
  8. Do not stop. Keep pushing until an AED is ready or help takes over.

Keeping the right speed

The AHA says the beat of the song “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees matches the right rate. Count out loud if that helps you keep a steady rhythm.

Pushing at least 2 inches deep takes real force. It is hard work, so share it if anyone else can help.

If two or more people can help, MedlinePlus says to switch every 2 minutes. Make the change fast so the chest pushes barely stop.

CPR with breaths (for trained people)

Some people need breaths as well as compressions. The AHA still recommends CPR with breaths for:

  • Infants and children
  • People who drowned
  • People who overdosed on drugs
  • People who collapsed because of a breathing problem

If you have been trained, use cycles of 30 compressions and 2 breaths. The Red Cross gives these steps for the breaths.

  1. Give 30 compressions as described above.
  2. Open the airway. Tilt the head back and lift the chin.
  3. Pinch the nose shut. Take a normal breath and seal your mouth over theirs.
  4. Blow for about 1 second, just enough to make the chest rise.
  5. Let the air come out. Then give the second breath.
  6. Go straight back to compressions.

The AHA’s 2025 update says to give only enough air to make the chest rise. A big, forceful breath is not needed.

If the first breath does not make the chest rise, tilt the head again and check your seal. If the second breath also fails, the Red Cross says something may be blocking the airway. Go back to compressions. Before the next breaths, look in the mouth and remove any object you can see.

The Red Cross says to keep any break in compressions under 10 seconds. That includes the time you spend giving breaths.

If you are not trained or do not want to give breaths, keep doing hands-only CPR. Compressions alone are far better than doing nothing.

How to use an AED

An AED (automated external defibrillator) is a portable device that can shock the heart back into a normal rhythm. It talks you through each step. You do not need to know how to read a heart rhythm.

These steps follow the Red Cross for adults and for children 8 or older who weigh over 55 pounds.

  1. Turn it on as soon as it arrives. Follow the voice prompts.
  2. Bare the chest. Remove clothing and dry the chest if it is wet.
  3. Place the pads. Put one on the upper right chest. Put the other on the lower left side, a few inches below the left armpit.
  4. If the pads would touch, put one in the middle of the chest and one on the back, between the shoulder blades.
  5. Plug in the pad cable if your model needs it.
  6. Stand clear. Make sure no one touches the person. Say “CLEAR” loudly while the AED checks the heart.
  7. Press shock if the AED tells you to. Check again that no one is touching the person first.
  8. Start compressions right away after the shock, or if no shock is advised.

Keep following the prompts. The AED will tell you when it wants to check the heart again.

When to stop CPR

Do not stop just because you see no change. MedlinePlus says to continue CPR until the person’s breathing and heartbeat return, or trained medical help arrives.

In practice, you stop or pause when:

  • The AED is ready and tells you to stand clear.
  • EMS or another trained rescuer takes over.
  • The person starts breathing normally.

If the person starts breathing normally, MedlinePlus says to put them in the recovery position. Keep checking their breathing until help arrives.

Infants and children: overview only

CPR for children and babies uses the same rate but different hands, depth and order of steps. Breaths matter much more for them. Learn it in a class with a child and infant manikin.

Adults and teens Children (1 year to puberty) Infants (under 1 year)
Rate 100 to 120 per minute 100 to 120 per minute 100 to 120 per minute
Depth At least 2 inches About 2 inches About 1½ inches
Hands Two hands One or two hands Two thumbs with hands around the chest, or heel of one hand
Compressions to breaths 30:2 30:2 30:2

The table follows the AHA 2025 Heartsaver summary and the Red Cross.

Three points are worth knowing now:

  • The AHA’s 2025 update no longer recommends the old two-finger method for infants. It may not push deep enough.
  • If you are alone with a baby or child who is not breathing and you have a phone, call 911 on speaker and start CPR. This is the AHA 2025 advice.
  • If you have no phone, give about 2 minutes of CPR first. That is 5 sets of 30 compressions and 2 breaths. Then leave to call 911.

If you have children at home, or you care for them, take a pediatric CPR class. Reading a table is not enough to do this under stress.

Common mistakes

  • Waiting too long to start. If the person is not breathing normally, begin compressions.
  • Pushing on a soft surface. A mattress absorbs the push. Move the person to the floor.
  • Pushing too gently or too slowly. Aim for at least 2 inches, at the pace of “Stayin’ Alive.”
  • Leaning on the chest. Let it come all the way back up between pushes.
  • Long pauses. Keep breaks under 10 seconds.
  • Being afraid of the AED. It checks the heart rhythm and tells you if a shock is advised. Turn it on and listen.

Next steps

You will not learn CPR well from a web page. Your hands need practice on a manikin, with an instructor who can check your depth and speed.

For the other skills that save lives fast, such as choking, bleeding and burns, see basic first aid skills everyone should learn. For what to do when help is hours away, read essential first aid techniques for survival situations. To stock your home, use our first aid kit guide.

Related guides

Sources

Surviving Disasters
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