If someone collapses, is unresponsive and is not breathing normally, immediately press hard on the chest and have someone call 120 and find an AED
Cardiac arrest often happens at home, and timely bystander compressions are associated with a higher chance of leaving hospital alive. Start compressions if the person is unresponsive and is not breathing normally; occasional gasps do not count as normal breathing. Stack your hands and press hard on the chest while someone else calls 120 and finds an AED.
This costs nothing. A CPR course from the Red Cross or a h…
Combined from 79 studies involving 142,740 people (meta-analysis). For people whose heart stops outside the ho…
This costs nothing. A CPR course from the Red Cross or a hospital lasts half a day to a full day, and one training session is enough for years of use. Even without prior training, you can do it: place both hands on top of each other at the midpoint between the nipples, then press down hard at a rate of about 2 times per second without stopping.
Combined from 79 studies involving 142,740 people (meta-analysis). For people whose heart stops outside the hospital (out-of-hospital cardiac arrest), only 7.6% total are discharged alive. Bystander CPR was associated with higher survival to discharge. After stratification by the studies’ underlying survival rates, survival to discharge among people receiving bystander CPR ranged from 3.9% to 16.1%. These figures come from different strata and must not be treated as a before-and-after change caused by compressions. While 53% of cases were witnessed by someone, only 32% actually received bystander compressions. The China BASIC-OHCA registered 38,227 emergency medical service cases. Among these, 30,282 cases (79.2%) of cardiac arrest occurred at home. Within this group, the bystander compression rate was 20.3%, and the discharge alive rate was 1.2%. The sequence is to perform compressions first, then have a second person call and retrieve an AED. Once the machine is turned on, follow its voice prompts. Whether to start compressions depends on whether breathing is normal. The International Red Cross 2025 first-aid guidelines state that during the first few minutes after cardiac arrest, a person may still gasp irregularly and with effort, or breathe noisily. This is not normal breathing. If unsure whether breathing is normal, treat it as abnormal. Abnormal breathing—including gasping, irregular breathing, or no breathing—requires immediate CPR.
Sasson C 等 (2010). Predictors of survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.109.889576 ; Zheng J 等 (2023). Incidence, process of care, and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in China: a prospective study of the BASIC-OHCA registry. The Lancet Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00173-1 ; International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2025). International First Aid, Resuscitation and Education Guidelines 2025，第 154 页：「If the person is breathing abnormally (gasping, taking irregular breaths or not breathing), start CPR immediately」；第 161 页：「In the first few minutes after cardiac arrest, a person may have agonal breathing (an irregular and laboured breathing pattern, or gasping noisily). This type of breathing is not normal. If there is any doubt about whether breathing is normal, assume it is not」. https://www.ifrc.org/sites/default/files/2026-03/IFRC%20International%20First%20Aid,%20Resuscitation%20and%20Education%20Guidelines%202025.pdf ; 全国人大 (2020). 民法典（第一百八十四条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202006/t20200602_463888.shtml
Open source linkDo not pinch the philtrum first, do not look for family members, and do not record a video. Also, do not hesitate to press hard for fear of breaking ribs. Article 184 of China’s Civil Code states that anyone who voluntarily provides emergency aid and accidentally causes injury to the victim still bears no civil liability.