to learn Hands-Only CPR and you could save the life of someone you love, or someone you haven't even met yet.

Why CPR?

Most Americans (70 percent) feel helpless to act during a cardiac emergency because they don't know how to administer CPR or they're afraid of hurting the victim.

Knowing Hands-Only CPR can save a life, and is easier than you might think. If you are called on to give CPR in an emergency, you will most likely be trying to save the life of someone you love: a child, a spouse, a parent or a friend.

That’s because 80 percent of sudden cardiac arrests happen in private or residential settings.

Unfortunately, only 41 percent of people who experience cardiac arrest at home, at work, or in public get the immediate help that they need before emergency help arrives.

Hands-Only CPR can double or even triple a victim’s chance of survival. It has been shown to be as effective as conventional CPR for sudden cardiac arrest at home, at work or in public.

Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death.


When a teen or adult has sudden cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately getting CPR from someone nearby.

Sadly, 89 percent of people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die because they don’t receive immediate CPR from someone on the scene.

Learn CPR – it only takes 60 seconds

Learn Hands-Only CPR

It's easy and takes 60 seconds:

Step 1. CHECK.

Tap the victim’s shoulder and look for any reaction. Ask if they’re ok. If they don’t react, check to see if their chest is rising and falling.

If you don’t see signs of breathing…

Step 2. CALL.

Point to a person and tell them to call 911. If you’re alone, use the speaker on your cell phone to do it.


Lay the victim flat on the ground. Remove any bulky clothing from the victim’s chest. Then, kneel over the victim’s chest. Interlock your fingers. Use the heel of your palm to push down in the center of the chest, directly between the nipples.

Lock your arms straight, to keep from tiring out immediately.

Perform 100 compressions per minute, pushing down hard and fast, about 2 inches per compression.

Use the song "Stayin' Alive" or another 100 BPM song as a guide. This will keep the blood and breath moving properly.

Don't worry about pushing too hard. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. Keep going until help arrives.

Spread the word about Hands-Only CPR. The more people who know, the more people who can be saved.

NOTE: The AHA still recommends CPR with compressions and breaths for infants and children and victims of drowning, drug overdose, or people who collapse due to breathing problems.

Hands-Only CPR. Take 60 seconds and learn today.

Choose a life-saving song

CPR Saved Me

"I shouldn't be here today." Michael Kiernan

Michael's life almost ended when he suffered total cardiac arrest on a southbound A train that had just left 125th Street. Luckily, two NewYork-Presbyterian employees were in the same car: Dr. Sonia Tolani, then a cardiology fellow at Columbia University Medical Center, and Tony Medaglia, who worked in Labor Relations.

For 23 harrowing minutes, they performed chest compressions on Michael, trying to move the remaining oxygen in his blood to his brain until they got to 59th Street, where emergency personnel were waiting. By the end, after 2,300 chest compressions, Tony's suit was soaked with sweat and Sonia's hands were covered with bruises. But their heroic efforts had worked: Michael fully recovered and retained full brain function even though he had been clinically dead for 23 minutes. Michael says, "I've been given a second chance at life—and I'm not going to waste it."

Learn Hands-Only CPR
and be someone's hero when they need it most.

Watch other Amazing stories

Songs to Save a Life To

All of these songs are 100 BPM – the right beat to perform CPR. Pick the song you like best and remember it in case you ever need to Check, Call, and Compress:

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listen to the playlist
"Songs to do CPR to."