90 seconds worth watching to make the most difference in the first 3 - 4 minutes of saving someone's life. Reference the Hands-Only CPR video(s) on the American Heart Association's website.
CPR Guide
Hands-Only CPR vs. CPR with Breaths
Hands-Only CPR
- Call 911
- Push hard and fast in the center of the chest
Hands-only CPR is a public awareness approach designed to help more people act in an emergency. It focuses on chest compressions to keep blood and oxygen flowing until help arrives.
Note: This method may not meet requirements for jobs that require formal CPR certification.
CPR Training (Compressions + Breaths)
- Chest compressions combined with rescue breaths
CPR training is offered online or in person and provides instruction from a certified instructor. It includes breathing techniques and additional skills such as choking relief.
Often required for workplace certification.
How Does It Work?
Hands-Only CPR
Chest compressions help circulate oxygenated blood to vital organs during the first few minutes of cardiac arrest. This can help keep a person alive until trained responders arrive.
CPR with Breaths
Combines chest compressions with rescue breaths to provide additional oxygen circulation throughout the body.
Who Can I Use It On?
Hands-Only CPR
Adults and teens.
CPR with Breaths
Anyone in cardiac arrest, including adults, teens, infants, and children. Also appropriate for drowning victims, drug overdoses, breathing-related emergencies, and prolonged cardiac arrest.
How Do I Learn?
- Hands-Only CPR: heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR
- Full CPR Training: heart.org/CPR (use "Find a Course")