Pull the course together into one sequence and debunk the myths that cost the most.
One chain
Safety — response — call — breathing — action
The whole course comes down to one chain: safety — response — call — breathing — action.
Safety: approach, or remove the danger first. Response: call out, shake their shoulders. Call: 911, on speaker, don't hang up. Breathing: for no more than ten seconds, look at the chest, listen, and feel with your cheek; occasional gasps, rasping, and single breaths with pauses mean “not breathing.” Action: no normal breathing — compressions in the center of the chest, 100–120 per minute, and the AED as soon as it arrives.
The main rule is about doubt: not sure whether it's cardiac arrest? Call and start. The bar is set low on purpose: CPR on someone who isn't in arrest does almost no harm; a delay for someone who is costs a life. The dispatcher will help you with the breathing.
The second rule is about what not to do. Half the course was about bad advice: it sounds confident, comes from people you love, and costs more than not knowing.
And one honest number to finish. Bystander CPR roughly doubles the odds of survival: 10.5% versus 4.0% in a Swedish study of thirty thousand cases. It doesn't “save” — it doubles. That's enough reason to start.
And about you. Finding someone in cardiac arrest and doing compressions is hard, even when you do everything right; the 2025 guidelines say so plainly. If you feel bad afterward, that's normal, and a reason to talk to someone.
Lesson notes
Safety — response — call — breathing — action
The whole course comes down to one chain: safety — response — call — breathing — action.
Safety: approach, or remove the danger first. Response: call out, shake their shoulders. Call: 911, on speaker, don't hang up. Breathing: for no more than ten seconds, look at the chest, listen, and feel with your cheek; occasional gasps, rasping, and single breaths with pauses mean “not breathing.” Action: no normal breathing — compressions in the center of the chest, 100–120 per minute, and the AED as soon as it arrives.
The main rule is about doubt: not sure whether it's cardiac arrest? Call and start. The bar is set low on purpose: CPR on someone who isn't in arrest does almost no harm; a delay for someone who is costs a life. The dispatcher will help you with the breathing.
The second rule is about what not to do. Half the course was about bad advice: it sounds confident, comes from people you love, and costs more than not knowing.
And one honest number to finish. Bystander CPR roughly doubles the odds of survival: 10.5% versus 4.0% in a Swedish study of thirty thousand cases. It doesn't “save” — it doubles. That's enough reason to start.
And about you. Finding someone in cardiac arrest and doing compressions is hard, even when you do everything right; the 2025 guidelines say so plainly. If you feel bad afterward, that's normal, and a reason to talk to someone.