Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency procedure that combines chest compressions often with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spontaneous blood circulation and breathing in a person who is in cardiac arrest.

What Happens During CPR?

The person giving CPR — called a rescuer — follows three main steps, which are known as C-A-B:

C: Do chest compressions.

A: Check the airway.

B: Do rescue breathing.