Which of these best describes the purpose of "Hands-Only" CPR?
Hands-Only CPR gives untrained bystanders a simple, effective way to keep oxygenated blood circulating to the brain and vital organs, using continuous chest compressions with no rescue breaths, until EMS arrives. This maintained blood flow improves survival for a collapsed teen or adult.
The answer
The purpose of Hands-Only CPR is to let any bystander, even one with no formal training, keep oxygen-rich blood moving to the brain and vital organs after someone suddenly collapses. It does this with continuous chest compressions only, no rescue breaths. The American Heart Association promotes it because two barriers stop people from acting during a cardiac arrest: not knowing the ratio of breaths to compressions, and reluctance to put their mouth on a stranger. Removing rescue breaths removes both barriers, so more bystanders act, and acting early is what saves lives.
When the heart stops, circulation stops, and brain cells begin dying within minutes. In the first moments of a sudden collapse, the blood is still fairly oxygenated, so simply pushing that blood around the body by compressing the chest buys critical time. Chest compressions manually squeeze the heart between the sternum and spine, pumping blood forward. Done well, they can roughly double or triple the odds of survival compared with doing nothing.
How to do it correctly
Call 911 (or send someone to) and get an AED, then push hard and fast in the center of the chest. The correct rate is 100 to 120 compressions per minute, to a depth of at least 2 inches (about 5 cm) for an adult, letting the chest fully recoil between pushes. A well-known memory trick is to compress to the beat of the song "Stayin' Alive," which sits near 103 beats per minute. Do not stop until EMS takes over, an AED is ready to analyze, or the person shows signs of life.
When Hands-Only CPR does NOT apply
Hands-Only CPR is designed for teens and adults who collapse suddenly from a witnessed cardiac arrest, the classic scenario being a person who clutches their chest and drops. It is not the recommended approach for everyone. Conventional CPR that includes rescue breaths is preferred for infants and children, for drowning or choking victims, for drug-overdose (opioid) arrests, and for anyone whose collapse resulted from a breathing problem rather than a sudden heart problem. In those cases the blood oxygen is already depleted, so rescue breaths matter. A trained rescuer should also add breaths when possible. So the best description of the purpose is not "to replace all CPR" or "to revive the heart by breathing," but specifically to give bystanders a simple compression-only method that sustains circulation until help arrives.
Frequently asked
What is Hands-Only CPR?
Hands-Only CPR is cardiopulmonary resuscitation that uses only continuous chest compressions with no mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths. It is intended for untrained or hesitant bystanders to keep blood circulating after a sudden cardiac arrest in a teen or adult.
When should you use Hands-Only CPR instead of conventional CPR?
Use Hands-Only CPR when an adult or teen suddenly collapses and you are untrained or unwilling to give rescue breaths. Use conventional CPR with breaths for infants, children, drowning, choking, or drug-overdose victims, whose arrest usually stems from a breathing problem.
How fast should chest compressions be?
Compress at 100 to 120 pushes per minute, about the tempo of the song Stayin' Alive. Push at least 2 inches deep in the center of the chest and let it fully recoil between compressions.
Why is Hands-Only CPR recommended for bystanders?
It removes the two biggest reasons people freeze during an emergency: uncertainty about breath-to-compression ratios and discomfort with mouth-to-mouth. Simpler steps mean more bystanders act quickly, and early compressions are the single biggest factor in surviving cardiac arrest.