Dec 21, 20171 min
Updated: Jun 18, 2020
Making decisions about trying cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is not easy. This brochure provides information about what CPR involves and what else is important to think about when deciding about CPR.
What is CPR?
CPR is used to try to restart the heart and breathing after these have stopped. CPR includes both:
Pushing on the chest to try to restart the heart, and
Giving air by the mouth or a tube down the airway to the lungs. Also,
Shocking the heart with electricity or giving medicine into the blood stream may be needed.
This type of medical care requires follow up in the hospital emergency department and likely an intensive care unit (ICU) so a ventilator (breathing machine) and a heart monitor can be used.
Download the CPR fact sheet below: