If the person does not respond and is not breathing normally, call 112, ask for a defibrillator and start cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) straight away.
Chest compressions (NTP 1062)
- The casualty on their back on a firm surface.
- Heel of one hand in the centre of the chest and the other on top, arms straight.
- A rate of at least 100 compressions a minute.
- A depth of about 5 cm, no more than 6 cm.
- Let the chest come back up between compressions, without lifting your hands.
Compressions and rescue breaths
- 30 compressions and 2 rescue breaths, each lasting about 1 second.
- If you do not feel able to give rescue breaths or it is not advisable (there is blood or something in the mouth), the NTP says they can be left out: do compressions only, without stopping.
- Every 2 minutes, check again whether they are breathing.
The defibrillator (AED)
- Switch it on and stick the pads on the chest as its pictures show.
- Follow its voice instructions. Nobody touches the casualty while it analyses.
- If it advises a shock, make sure nobody is touching them and press the button. Then carry on with CPR.
- If it does not advise a shock, carry on with CPR for 2 minutes.
The NTP notes that the chance of successful resuscitation drops by 10% for every minute without defibrillation.
When to stop
When medical help arrives, when the casualty starts breathing normally, or when the rescuer is exhausted (NTP 1062).
In practiceThere are three of you. One calls 112 on speakerphone, another fetches the
defibrillator from reception, and you start compressions, without stopping, until the device arrives.
Source: INSST, NTP 1062: Primeros auxilios: soporte vital básico en el adulto (adult basic life support, in Spanish), CPR and AED use · Gobierno Vasco, Osakidetza and 112 SOS Deiak: «Primeros auxilios» poster (in Spanish), CPR