Master Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for Adults with Picmonic for Medicine

The first step before performing CPR is to check the scene and the person. The healthcare provider must ensure that the scene is safe for them to enter. Once safety is established, the healthcare provider should tap the person on the shoulder and shout "Are you OK?" This is a rapid assessment to make sure that the person does in fact need help.

If the person does in fact need help, call for assistance. If not in a hospital setting, call 911 (or have someone call 911) and send someone else to obtain an automated external defibrillator (AED).

At this point, check to see if the person is breathing. Look and listen carefully, watch the chest for a rise and fall. Do this for no more than 10 seconds. If there is no breathing, it is time to begin CPR.

The next step is to open the airway. With the person lying on their back, tilt the head back slightly to lift the chin.

Compressions should be hard and fast. Hands should be placed in the middle of the chest, one on top of the other. Compressions should be delivered at a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute, at least 2 inches deep.

Before administering rescue breaths, you must ensure that the airway is still accessible to receive the air.

After making the airway accessible by tilting the person’s head back slightly and lifting the chin, two breaths should be delivered. Blow into the person's mouth to make the chest rise. After the two rescue breaths, compressions should be continued.

The CPR sequence of 30 compressions to 2 breaths should be performed until the person exhibits breathing, an AED becomes available, or help arrives on the scene.