9 Things To Know To Save A Life With CPR

December 01, 2025

When a heart stops, seconds matter. But too often, when someone has a cardiac arrest away from a hospital, people in a position to help don't.

Misunderstandings about CPR can keep people from acting. That costs lives.

We talked with Serena Johnston, program manager for education at Franciscan Health Lafayette East, to tackle common concerns about CPR.

Key Takeaways: CPR

Having a bystander perform CPR while waiting for an ambulance doubles or triples the chances of a person surviving.
Hands-only CPR can be as effective as traditional CPR with rescue breaths in the first few minutes after cardiac arrest in adults and teens.
AEDs can shock a heart back into rhythm but, as with CPR, should be used quickly.

With CPR, You Can't Wait

If you see a person suddenly collapse, call 911 but don't wait for an ambulance.

Research has shown that each minute that CPR is delayed decreases the odds of survival by about 10%. However, having a bystander perform CPR doubles or triples the chances of somebody surviving.

“If an emergency happens, you don't have to be fearless, just prepared,” Johnston said. “One of the ways that you can do that is by learning how to use an AED and being CPR trained. CPR is not only for doctors. Anyone can perform CPR.”

The steps for responding to a cardiac arrest, according to the American Heart Association, are:

Check for responsiveness.
Call 911 or, if other people are on hand, have a second bystander make the call. 911 operators can guide rescuers through CPR.
Begin CPR while a second bystander retrieves an automated external defibrillator, or AED, if one is nearby. If you don’t know where an AED is, do not delay starting CPR.

To perform CPR, place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest. Place the other hand on top and interlock the fingers. Push straight down hard and fast at 100 to 120 beats a minute. (That's the rhythm of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive," the Darth Vader theme or “Baby Shark.”) You can also have someone search Google for "metronome" and enter "110.")

Learning CPR Can Be Simple

Taking a CPR course will help people know how to respond. You can learn the basics from a free AHA video and get hands-on training through Franciscan Health, a community center or fire department.

“Research shows that if we have done it, if we have practiced it, we're more likely to participate in an actual emergency,” Johnston said “By taking a CPR class and by going through all of those motions, you're really building your confidence so that when an emergency does happen, you are prepared to act and you do take that step to act in an emergency.”

You Don't Need CPR Certification To Help

Even if you haven’t recently taken CPR training or a refresher course, you can still help perform CPR in an emergency situation.

“In an emergency, the most important thing is to just breathe and remember that when you phone 911, there will be the nice, calm voice of reason on the other line and they will coach you through absolutely everything,” Johnston said. “If you've been trained in CPR, they will help walk you through and remember those steps. If you haven't, they'll coach you on how to do it.”

Don't Fret About Mouth-To-Mouth

If you're wary of breathing into a stranger, don't. These days, training emphasizes hands-only CPR for the first few minutes.

“When we do hands-only CPR, we're not going to worry about breaths, we're just buying them a little bit more time until the ambulance can get there,” Johnston said.

Hands-only CPR has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR with rescue breaths in the first few minutes after cardiac arrest in adults and teens.

Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation – two rescue breaths after every 30 compressions – is important, however, for infants and children and if someone's heart stops because of choking or drowning.

Don't Waste Time Checking For A Pulse

If you see someone collapse, Johnston said, tap the patient gently and loudly ask, "Are you OK?"

If they are not breathing or are breathing with "agonal breaths," when breathing is abnormal or it appears the person is gasping for air, start CPR.

Find the spot in the middle of the chest – "essentially, between the nipples" – and start pressing hard and fast.

You Can Use An AED

People who witness what’s happening can help save someone’s life by calling an ambulance and starting chest compressions while asking someone else to find an AED, or Automated External Defibrillator.

AEDs can shock a heart back into rhythm but, as with CPR, need to be used quickly. You should scout out where to find one in places you frequent.

With voice and visual prompts, AEDS were designed to be used by someone who's never seen them before.

“An AED is absolutely easier to use than you think,” Johnston said. “Anybody can do it. AEDs are simple to use. They either turn on automatically or you press the power button and then it will talk you through.”

Don't Be Squeamish

Roughly 350,000 U.S. adults experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. But bystanders administer CPR in only about 40% of cases.

Research shows people in low-income and predominantly Black neighborhoods are less likely to receive bystander CPR than those in predominantly white neighborhoods with higher income, and women are less likely to receive CPR than men.

Chest compressions might require opening or cutting away someone's bulky clothing or removing a bra to reach the middle of their chest or apply AED pads.

If someone falls in a twisted position, you might have to straighten them out to get them on their back. If they are on a bed or couch, it is best to lower them to the ground so that CPR can be performed on a firm surface.

One of the biggest misconceptions about CPR is that you can harm someone in cardiac arrest. Good Samaritan laws protect people who step in to provide lifesaving care.

“You can hurt someone from doing CPR, but it's better than doing nothing at all,” Johnston said. “We might break a rib, we might cause some bruising, but if we don't do anything at all, their chances of survival decrease by 10% for every minute that we do nothing.”