The main difference between CPR and rescue breathing is that CPR is performed when the heart stops beating, and rescue breathing is performed when the person stops breathing.
Trained and ready to go.
Start CPR with 30 chest compressions. Then give two rescue breaths.
The current Australian Resuscitation Council guidelines for CPR is 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths. If a responder is not willing or able to perform rescue breaths, chest compressions only or hands-only CPR should still be performed.
Studies have found that in addition to being less complicated, CPR without rescue breaths may even be more effective than CPR with mouth-to-mouth because continuous chest compressions alone have been shown to sustain blood circulation more effectively for people in cardiac arrest.
Standardized terminology helps improve communication and accuracy in emergency response education. The 2025 Guidelines clarify the distinction between breaths and ventilations to ensure consistency in training and guidelines. To simplify nomenclature, the term rescue breaths is no longer used.
Chest compression mimics heart contractions and mouth-to-mouth mimics breathing, by delivering oxygen to the lungs via the mouth. CPR is the second link in the Chain of Survival. It is the link that can buy life-saving time between the first (early access to emergency care) and third link (early defibrillation).
CPR for adults: Give 30 compressions followed by 2 breaths. This is known as “30:2”. Aim for 5 sets of 30:2 in about 2 minutes (if you are only doing compressions, aim for about 100 to 120 compressions per minute).
Hands-Only CPR performed by a bystander has been shown to be as effective as CPR with breaths in the first few minutes of an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest for an adult victim. If you do not know how to administer CPR with breaths, don't be afraid to act in an emergency; your actions can only help.
The 3 R's in CPR stand for Recognize, Respond, and Resuscitate. These three steps are crucial in saving a life during a cardiac emergency. When a person experiences cardiac arrest, every second counts, and understanding these three essential steps ensures that bystanders can take quick and effective action.
Mouth-to-mouth is no longer recommended for most adult cardiac arrest situations by the American Heart Association (AHA). In 2025, hands-only CPR is the advised method for untrained bystanders, while rescue breaths are still important in specific scenarios like drowning, drug overdose, and for children or infants.
Improper chest compressions (too slow, too fast, or not deep enough) can do more harm than good. People make this mistake mainly because of fear of hurting the victim's lungs or crushing their ribs.
Provide rescue breathing, 1 breath every 6 seconds or 10 breaths/min. Check pulse every 2 minutes; if no pulse, start CPR.
A person may need rescue breathing in the following situations:
Vomiting is the most frequently encountered complication of CPR. If the victim starts to vomit, turn the head to the side and try to sweep out or wipe off the vomit. Continue with CPR. The spread of infection from the victim to the rescuer is exceedingly rare.
Do you give CPR if there is a pulse but no breathing? Yes, Perform CPR: If a person is not breathing but has a detectable pulse, CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) should be initiated immediately.
3 C's to Save a Life
Studies show that bystanders are less likely to begin CPR if they think they have to give mouth-to-mouth, especially to strangers. Rescue breaths delay effective compressions. In many cardiac arrest cases, the body still has oxygen in the blood—the priority is to circulate it with compressions.
What are the 7 Steps of CPR?
The 5 situations when you do not perform CPR are:
There Is an “Obvious Death.” The Scene Is Unsafe for rescuer safety. Emergency Medical Responders Take Over Resuscitation Efforts. The Rescuer Is Physically Unable to continue effective chest compressions.
CPR with rescue breaths
After every 30 chest compressions, give 2 rescue breaths. Tilt the person's head gently and lift the chin up with 2 fingers.
In addition to acting as a barrier to initiation of CPR, the mouth-to-mouth ventilation component of CPR may have other adverse effects, such as promoting gastric insufflation14 15 16 17 or decreasing the percentage of time allocated to effective chest compression.
Sensing the hubbub, the adrenal glands unleash adrenaline. Cue a pounding heart, heavy breathing, or sweaty palms. (If you two become a couple, kissing could eventually trigger an opposite effect—peace instead of passion.)
The physicians and scientists at the Sarver Heart Center, have found that the old saying "Never perform CPR on beating heart" is not valid. According to these professionals, the chances that a bystander could harm a person by pressing on their chest are slim to none, even if the heart is working normally.