Can I revive someone with CPR alone?

When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, immediate Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is vital for the best chance at survival. CPR acts as a manual pump for the heart, continuing to push blood to vital organs while the heart’s normal rhythm has stopped.

Yet is CPR by itself enough to revive someone who has suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)?

Recognising Sudden Cardiac Arrest

SCA is caused by a sudden change in the heart’s rhythm which leads activity in the heart to stop. Breathing stops and the person quickly becomes unconscious; immediate action must be taken to prevent permanent brain damage and death.

The signs of SCA may be hard to spot initially, and some symptoms are shared with a heart attack- but the two are very different things.

While often displaying some of the same symptoms as SCA, a heart attack is typically caused by a blockage in one of the coronary arteries which then starves the heart of oxygen and it begins to die.

Some signs of SCA to look out for include: fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, chest pains and loss of consciousness.

Actions to treat Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Someone in cardiac arrest will not be breathing normally; they may not be breathing at all, or breathing agonally. Agonal breath is when oxygenated blood is not being pumped around the body, the nervous system will make the body gasp in an attempt to take in some oxygen - agonal breathing is not voluntary.

The first action you should take when an adult suffers cardiac arrest is to call 999, then begin CPR. 

Using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

While CPR will manually push blood around the body, it will not fix the heart’s arrhythmia. A shock from an AED is the only definitive way to restart a normal rhythm in the heart.

An AED can be used by anyone responding to a cardiac arrest; they are designed in a way that any responder can pick them up and be guided by the device’s instructions to save a life.

Imperative’s Mission

At Imperative Training, our mission is to ensure every person is equipped with the skills needed to save a life. We do this by providing the highest quality of first aid training that is nationally accredited to the highest standard possible - a Diamond Centre of TQUK.

Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 0161 7767420 to learn how we can help you.