If someone collapses: check, call, compress

If someone collapses next to us, what we do before help arrives can make a crucial difference.

The key message of World Restart a Heart Day is simple: check, call, compress.

First make sure the area is safe and check whether the adult responds. If they do not respond, call 112 immediately, put the phone on speaker and follow the call handler’s instructions.

Check breathing while the call connects. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, treat this as a possible cardiac arrest and start compressions immediately. Occasional gasps are not normal breathing.

Compress the centre of the chest at a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute and a depth of 5–6 centimetres in an adult. Allow the chest to recoil fully after each compression and minimise interruptions.

If an automated external defibrillator is available, ask someone else to bring it, switch it on and follow its instructions. Nobody should touch the person while the device analyses the rhythm or delivers a shock. The device delivers a shock only when it determines one is needed.

If you are trained and able to give rescue breaths, provide 30 compressions and 2 breaths. Otherwise, give continuous compressions and follow the call handler’s instructions.

Continue until rescuers take over, clear signs of life with normal breathing appear, you become exhausted, or the area becomes unsafe. If the person is unresponsive but breathing normally, follow the 112 call handler’s advice and keep monitoring breathing.

This guidance is for adults and does not replace practical resuscitation training. Children and infants require specific guidance; follow 112.

You do not have to be a doctor to help. You need to know what to do and avoid losing valuable time.