If someone collapses and isn't breathing, press hard on the chest right away, and have a bystander call 120 (China's ambulance number) and find an AED
- High value
- Evidence A
- Buys life
- Free
- Takes some hours
- No willpower
In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.
In plain words
The person you are most likely to press on is a family member: 79.2% of cardiac arrests happen at home. When someone presses on the chest, the share who leave the hospital alive rises from 3.9% to 16.1%. If the person doesn't answer when you call and isn't breathing, start pressing right away. The spot is the midpoint of the line between the nipples. Put your hands one on top of the other, press down hard, 2 times a second, without stopping. Have a second person call 120 and get an AED (automated external defibrillator), and keep your hands going.
- Cost
-
Free. A CPR course from the Red Cross (红十字会) or a hospital takes half a day to a day, and one course lasts for many years. You can do it even if you have never learned: put your hands one on top of the other at the midpoint of the line between the two nipples, and press down hard about 2 times a second, without stopping.
- What you get
-
A meta-analysis (a combined analysis) of 79 studies and 142,740 people: of people whose heart stopped outside a hospital (out-of-hospital cardiac arrest), only 7.6% in total left the hospital alive. When a bystander did CPR, the share leaving alive rose from 3.9% to 16.1%. In 53% of cases someone was nearby to see the attack, but only 32% actually got chest compressions from a bystander. China's BASIC-OHCA registry recorded 38,227 cases seen by emergency services. Of these, 30,282 (79.2%) had the cardiac arrest at home. In this group the bystander compression rate was 20.3%, and 1.2% left the hospital alive. The order is to press first, then have a second person make the call and get the AED. Once the machine is on, follow its voice instructions
- Notes
-
Children under 1 year old are handled differently and need breaths; see §13.44 (CPR for infants). Don't pinch the philtrum first, don't go looking for family first, don't film first. And don't hold back from pressing hard for fear of breaking a rib. Article 184 of the Civil Code (民法典) states that if someone voluntarily gives emergency help and injures the person helped, the helper bears no civil liability.
- Evidence grade
- A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
- Sources
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- Sasson C 等 (2010). Predictors of survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.109.889576
- Zheng J 等 (2023). Incidence, process of care, and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in China: a prospective study of the BASIC-OHCA registry. The Lancet Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00173-1
- 全国人大 (2020). 民法典（第一百八十四条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202006/t20200602_463888.shtml
Mentioned in
- If an older person falls or someone collapses, crouch down, call to them and call 120 (China's ambulance number); don't rush to pull them up. Walking away from a stranger is also legal in China, but if you stop, don't move them
- If someone is electrocuted, cut the power first, then push the source away with a dry wooden stick or similar, and don't pull them with your bare hands
- If a baby under 1 year old is unresponsive and not breathing normally, put the phone on speaker and call 120 (China's ambulance number), and give infant CPR: 30 pushes and 2 breaths
- If you have no relatives and no friends, replace “the person who keeps watch on you” with three things: a neighbor who can get into your home, the community's visit list, and an emergency contact in your phone
Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 1. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer