Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency technique used when a person’s heart has stopped beating and breathing has stopped. Millions of people receive CPR training each year, and its use has been shown to increase the survival rate of people who are suffering from otherwise fatal conditions.

CPR is used in a variety of situations, including drug overdose, near drowning and electrical shock. It is also used when a person has entered cardiac arrest, or the heart has stopped beating (most often due to an abnormal heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation). Patients may avoid sudden cardiac death if they receive CPR until emergency medical help arrives (who may use a defibrillator to restore a natural heart rhythm).

Although information about CPR may be obtained in a variety of ways, only an accredited CPR class (e.g., those offered by the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association) can offer people CPR certification.

CPR cannot always save a person’s life. In addition, even when CPR is administered correctly, there is a risk of harming the person on whom it is being performed. Anyone administering CPR should be aware of importance of administering CPR in certain situations.