The purpose of CPR and AED is to restore breathing and circulation in someone experiencing cardiac arrest, keeping them alive until emergency medical help arrives.
A practical, step-by-step guide to recognizing cardiac arrest, performing high‑quality CPR, and operating an AED until help arrives.
Ensure the area is safe for you and the victim. Tap and shout: ‘Are you okay?’. If there is no response and the person isn’t breathing or is only gasping, treat as cardiac arrest.
Send someone to call 911 and to bring an AED. If alone with an adult, call first; if alone with a child/infant and you have a mobile phone, call and put on speaker while starting compressions.
Expose the chest, place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest on the lower half of the sternum; place the other hand on top.
Compress at least 2 inches (5 cm) for adults and about 2 inches (5 cm) for children; about 1.5 inches (4 cm) for infants.
Rate: 100–120 per minute. Allow full chest recoil. Minimize interruptions to less than 10 seconds.
Switch compressors every 2 minutes if another trained rescuer is available.
After 30 compressions, open the airway using head‑tilt–chin‑lift. For suspected trauma, use jaw thrust if trained.
Give 2 breaths over 1 second each, just enough to see chest rise. Avoid excessive ventilation. Resume compressions immediately.
Turn on the AED and follow voice prompts. Attach pads to a bare, dry chest as shown on the pad diagrams.
Clear the patient during analysis and before delivering a shock. Press the shock button when prompted.
Resume compressions immediately for 2 minutes after the shock or ‘no shock advised’, then re‑analyze.
For children, use pediatric pads and energy if available; if not, use adult pads ensuring they don’t touch.
Infant/child compression ratio can be 30:2 for a single rescuer or 15:2 for two rescuers.
The person shows signs of life, trained help takes over, an AED advises to stop, the scene becomes unsafe, or you are too exhausted to continue.
This guide is for education only and does not replace formal certification.
Our CPR classes include hands‑on AED practice. If your team is searching for "AED courses near me" in Takoma Park, we bring the AED trainer and walk everyone through pad placement, safety checks, and shock delivery so you can respond with confidence.
Do you come to our location in Takoma Park?
Yes. We bring manikins, AED trainers, and all course materials to your site in Takoma Park. All we need is an open floor area, power for a projector/AED trainer, and a nearby restroom.
How many people can attend?
We regularly train small teams of 6–12 and groups up to 25 in a single block. Larger groups are fine—we run rotations so everyone practices correctly.
Is pediatric CPR included?
We cover adult CPR/AED by default and can include child/infant skills on request for most groups.
How long can someone survive without CPR?
Brain injury can begin in 4–6 minutes without oxygen. Immediate CPR helps keep blood flowing and can double or triple survival until an AED or EMS arrives.
Can I break ribs during CPR?
Rib fractures can happen, especially in adults. Start CPR if a person is unresponsive and not breathing normally—CPR is far more important than the risk of a fracture.
Do you include AED training?
Yes. AED setup, pad placement, analysis, and safe shock delivery are part of every CPR & AED class. We practice on trainer devices so your team is ready to use the real thing.
“The class was a success! At first, we had a bit of trouble gathering the participants but as soon as it started, everything went well! She was very knowledgeable and thorough in terms of discussing the topics and also provided great information! She made sure that everyone had enough time to practice the exercises and I can say everyone enjoyed it!”
