What Are the 7 Steps of CPR in Order?

According to the American Red Cross, here are the 7 steps for performing CPR:

1. Assess the situation

• Make sure the person is on a firm surface
• Tap the person on the shoulder and confirm that they need help.

2. Call for help

• Look for someone who can get an automated external defibrillator (AED) if available at the nearest emergency medical care center.
• If there is no AED available, stay with the victim and call 911.

3. Open the airway

• Lay the person on their back, and tilt their head back to lift their chin.
• Remove any obvious blockages in the mouth or nose, such as vomit, blood, food, or loose teeth.

4. Check for breathing

• Listen carefully for breathing sounds for at least 10 seconds (except for occasional gasping sounds).
• If you cannot hear breathing sounds, begin CPR.

5. Start chest compressions

• Kneel next to the person's neck and shoulders.
• Position both of your hands (lower palms) on top of each other in the middle of the person’s chest.
• Compress (push straight down) the chest at least 2 inches (5 cm) but no more than 2.4 inches (6 cm).
• Use your entire body weight (not just your arms) to deliver pressure at a rate of at least 100 compressions per minute.
• Push hard and fast.
• Allow a few seconds after each push so that the chest springs back.

6. Deliver rescue breaths

• Tilt the person's head back, lift their chin, pinch their nose shut, and place your mouth over their mouth to make a complete seal.
• After mouth-to-mouth contact, blow to make the person’s chest rise.
• If the chest rises, deliver a second breath.
• Deliver at least two rescue breaths first, then continue compressions.

7. Continue CPR steps

• Continue with the chest compressions cycles and breathing until: 
• The person exhibits signs of life, such as breathing or movement.
• An AED becomes available.
• Emergency medical services or a trained medical responder arrives on the scene and takes over.

CPR is needed if a person is unconscious, not breathing, or breathing abnormally

Critical components of a high-quality CPR include the following

• Minimize interruptions in chest compressions
• Provide chest compressions of adequate depth and rate
• Do not lean on the victim between compressions
• Ensure proper hand placement
• Avoid excessive ventilation

According to the AHA, CPR techniques differ depending on the level of training an individual has:

• Trained healthcare providers
  • Conventional CPR consists of chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing at a ratio of 30:2 compressions-to-breaths.
  • For an average adult victim, rescuers should perform chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute and not more than a depth of at least 2 inches (5 cm).
• General public or bystanders
  • Compression-only/hands-only CPR without mouth-to-mouth (rescue) breaths is recommended to use when you see a teen or an adult suddenly collapse in an out-of-hospital setting (home, work, or a park).
  • Compression-only/hands-only CPR consists of two easy steps:
  • Call an emergency medical service
  • Push hard, fast, and firm in the center of the chest (between the nipples)