{"id":42506,"date":"2026-09-11T15:38:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T02:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/?p=42506"},"modified":"2026-06-08T16:14:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T03:14:59","slug":"adult-cpr-technique-and-what-actually-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/adult-cpr-technique-and-what-actually-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Adult CPR: technique and what actually matters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is the manual technique that keeps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and vital organs when the heart has stopped pumping effectively. It buys time. It doesn\u2019t restart the heart by itself in most cases; that usually takes defibrillation. What CPR does is keep the patient alive long enough for a defibrillator or paramedics to arrive and have something to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The numbers matter. Brain damage from oxygen deprivation begins within four to six minutes of the heart stopping. After about 10 minutes without circulation, the damage becomes severe and largely irreversible. Survival from sudden cardiac arrest drops roughly 10 percent for every minute defibrillation is delayed. In a workplace where the ambulance might be five to fifteen minutes away, the difference between someone surviving and not surviving is most often whether a colleague started CPR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"740\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/oxygen-deprivation-timeline-for-cpr-740x413.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42507\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/oxygen-deprivation-timeline-for-cpr-740x413.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/oxygen-deprivation-timeline-for-cpr-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/oxygen-deprivation-timeline-for-cpr-768x429.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/oxygen-deprivation-timeline-for-cpr-1536x857.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/oxygen-deprivation-timeline-for-cpr-2048x1143.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For first aid purposes, anyone over eight years old is treated as an adult. Below that age the technique is modified (covered in the next article on this site).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Position and setup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The patient needs to be flat on their back on a firm surface. A carpeted floor or hard ground is fine. A mattress is not, because it absorbs the compressions and you can\u2019t get effective depth. If you find someone in cardiac arrest on a bed, move them to the floor before starting CPR if you can do so quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kneel beside them at chest level. If possible, expose the chest (remove or open shirts and jackets), but don\u2019t waste time on clothing if it\u2019s slowing you down. Compressions through a thin shirt or jumper are still effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hand position<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Place the heel of one hand in the centre of the chest, on the lower half of the breastbone. Place your other hand on top of the first and interlock your fingers, keeping the fingers off the ribs. Your shoulders should be directly over your hands. Lock your elbows straight. You\u2019ll be using your body weight to compress, not your arm muscles. If you try to do this with bent arms, you\u2019ll be exhausted in under a minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Compression depth and rate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Push hard, push fast. The depth target for an adult is at least 5cm (about one-third of the chest depth). Research consistently shows that rescuers under-compress rather than over-compress. Don\u2019t hold back. Cracked ribs are a possible side effect; cardiac arrest without intervention is a certain bad outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rate is 100 to 120 compressions per minute, roughly two per second. The Bee Gees song \u201cStayin\u2019 Alive\u201d famously sits in that tempo (103 bpm); other songs at that beat include \u201cAnother One Bites the Dust\u201d (which lands awkwardly given the context), \u201cDancing Queen\u201d, and \u201cCrazy in Love\u201d. Whatever helps you keep the rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After each compression, let the chest come back up fully before the next one. This recoil lets the heart refill. Leaning on the chest between compressions cuts your effectiveness by about 25 percent. Push down. Release fully. Repeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Count out loud as you go. \u201cOne, two, three, four\u2026\u201d up to 30. Counting keeps the rhythm and signals to anyone helping you what cycle you\u2019re in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rescue breaths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After 30 compressions, give two rescue breaths. Open the airway with head tilt chin lift. Pinch the soft part of the nose closed. Use a barrier device (face shield or pocket mask) if one is available. Seal your lips around the patient\u2019s mouth and blow steadily for about one second. The chest should rise. If it doesn\u2019t, reposition the head and try the second breath. Don\u2019t spend more than 10 seconds on the two breaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then back to compressions. Thirty more, then two more breaths. Continue the 30:2 cycle until something changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Compression-only CPR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you can\u2019t or won\u2019t do rescue breaths (no barrier device, blood or vomit around the mouth, you\u2019re uncomfortable with mouth-to-mouth on a stranger), give compression-only CPR instead. Continuous compressions at 100 to 120 per minute, no breaths. ANZCOR says compression-only CPR is acceptable for adult cardiac arrest. Some CPR is dramatically better than no CPR. Don\u2019t skip it because the breaths feel like a barrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When the AED arrives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If someone arrives with an AED while you\u2019re doing CPR, don\u2019t stop compressions to set it up yourself if there\u2019s another person who can do it. Continue compressions while they apply the pads. When the AED says \u201canalysing rhythm\u201d or \u201cstand clear,\u201d pause compressions and stay back. Resume immediately after the shock (or after \u201cno shock advised\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can find out more about how an AED works in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/course\/first-aid\/\">first aid online refresher course<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Swapping rescuers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Good CPR is hard work. Within two minutes most rescuers are pushing shallower than they realise. If there\u2019s a second trained person available, swap every two minutes (roughly every five cycles of 30:2). The changeover should be fast: the new rescuer is in position by the end of your current 30 compressions, you give the two breaths, and they take over immediately. Aim for less than 10 seconds of interruption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if they vomit, or you crack a rib?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vomiting during CPR is common. Roll the patient onto their side, wipe the mouth clear, roll them back, continue CPR. Don\u2019t let it stop you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cracked ribs feel terrible (a soft crunch under your hands) but are a known and acceptable side effect. The patient is in cardiac arrest. Without CPR they will die. A cracked rib heals. Carry on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to stop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Continue CPR until one of three things happens. Signs of life return (coughing, moving purposefully, eyes opening). Emergency services arrive and take over. Or you\u2019re physically unable to continue. Don\u2019t stop because you think it\u2019s been too long, or because nothing seems to be working. Patients have survived after 40 minutes or more of bystander CPR followed by professional resuscitation. Your job is to keep going until someone with more equipment takes over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A workplace scenario<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A driver in a transport yard collapses while doing a pre-trip walk-around. A workmate runs over, finds him face-down, rolls him onto his back. The scene is safe. He shakes his shoulders and shouts; no response. He yells to the foreman to call 111 and grab the AED from the office wall. He opens the airway with head tilt chin lift, looks for breathing for 10 seconds, sees one ragged gasp and nothing else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hands on the centre of the chest. Locks his elbows. Starts compressions, counting out loud, pushing to a count that sounds about two per second. After 30, two breaths. Back to compressions. The foreman returns with the AED about 90 seconds in. The workmate keeps compressing while the foreman switches it on and applies the pads. The AED says \u201cstand clear, analysing.\u201d Shock advised. Shock delivered. Resume CPR. Three cycles later the driver starts to gag and his eyes flicker. The paramedics arrive a minute after that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That outcome is the difference good CPR makes. Not magic, just rhythm and pressure applied without giving up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is the manual technique that keeps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and vital organs when the heart has stopped pumping effectively. It buys time. It doesn\u2019t restart the heart by itself in most cases; that usually<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/adult-cpr-technique-and-what-actually-matters\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42507,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[393],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-first-aid"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Adult CPR: technique and what actually matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It buys time. It doesn\u2019t restart the heart by itself in most cases; that usually takes defibrillation. What CPR does is keep the patient alive long enough for a defibrillator or paramedics to arrive and have something to work with.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.drivingtests.co.nz\/resources\/adult-cpr-technique-and-what-actually-matters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Adult CPR: technique and what actually matters\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It buys time. It doesn\u2019t restart the heart by itself in most cases; that usually takes defibrillation. 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