Hands-Only CPR: When and How to Help an Adult
When a teen or adult suddenly collapses, is unresponsive and is not breathing normally, call emergency services, send for an AED and push hard and fast in the center of the chest until help takes over.
Timeline
- At sudden collapse: Check responsiveness and normal breathing, call 911 or the local emergency number, and send someone for an AED.
- Immediately after calling: Place both hands in the center of the chest and begin hard, fast compressions at 100 to 120 per minute.
- Until help arrives: Minimize pauses, use the AED as soon as it arrives and continue until the person moves or trained responders take over.
Hands-Only CPR is intended for a bystander who sees a teen or adult suddenly collapse outside a hospital. Check whether the scene is safe, tap and shout, and look for normal breathing. If the person is unresponsive and is not breathing or is only gasping, treat it as cardiac arrest. Call 911 or the local emergency number immediately and put the phone on speaker so the dispatcher can coach you. [1][2][3]
Send another person to find an automated external defibrillator if one is available. Kneel beside the chest, place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest, put the other hand on top, and keep your arms straight. Push hard and fast at 100 to 120 compressions per minute. For an average adult, American Heart Association guidance calls for at least two inches of depth while avoiding excessive depth. [1][2]
Let the chest return fully after each compression and keep interruptions as short as possible. If another trained rescuer is present, switch when fatigue makes compressions weaker, coordinating the change to avoid a long pause. Continue until the person begins to breathe or move, emergency professionals take over, the scene becomes unsafe or you physically cannot continue. Follow any different real-time instruction from the emergency dispatcher. [1][2]
Use an AED as soon as it arrives. Turn it on, expose and dry the chest, attach the pads as pictured and follow the voice prompts. Make sure no one touches the person during rhythm analysis or a shock. Resume compressions immediately after a shock or a no-shock message. The device determines whether a shockable rhythm is present; attaching it does not mean a shock will automatically be given. [2][3]
Hands-Only CPR is not the preferred approach in every emergency. The American Heart Association recommends conventional CPR with compressions and breaths for infants and children and for arrests associated with drowning, drug overdose or a breathing problem. A trained rescuer should use the method taught in current certification. An untrained rescuer should tell the dispatcher exactly what happened and follow the coaching provided. [1][4]
Do not delay because you fear causing injury or are unsure whether the collapse is cardiac arrest. An unresponsive person with no normal breathing needs emergency assessment, and the dispatcher can help distinguish the situation. A heart attack and cardiac arrest are different: someone with heart-attack symptoms may remain awake and breathing, while cardiac arrest means the heart has stopped pumping effectively and the person loses responsiveness. [2][3]
A short article cannot replace practice. A certified CPR/AED course teaches hand position, compression quality, rescue breaths, child and infant care, choking response and special situations. Review skills regularly and learn where AEDs are located at home, work, school and community venues. In a real emergency, the priorities remain simple: call for help, start compressions and use the AED without avoidable delay. [1][2][3]
Sources
- American Heart Association — What Is CPR?
- American Heart Association — Emergency Treatment of Cardiac Arrest
- American Red Cross — Hands-Only CPR
- American Heart Association — Hands-Only CPR Fact Sheet