Do not waste time getting someone onto the floor from a bed to start CPR. If giving CPR on a bed, increase the compression depth to compensate for the soft mattress.

Abnormal breathing is any breathing that does not look or sound normal. In cardiac arrest this often appears as slow, laboured and irregular. It may look like the casualty is panting or snorting or they may be taking gasping breaths (called agonal breaths). These breaths may be noisy, shallow, or spaced far apart, and they do not count as normal breathing. You may also notice brief seizure-like movements when someone collapses from cardiac arrest.

If in doubt, start CPR

No — you don’t have to give breaths to perform lifesaving CPR. The 2025 Resuscitation Council UK guidelines say that if you are untrained, unsure, or unwilling to give rescue breaths, you should give chest-compression-only CPR, and this is still highly effective.

However, if you are trained and confident, the guidelines say it is reasonable and beneficial to give both chest compressions and rescue breaths. Adding breaths provides extra oxygen, which becomes more important the longer the resuscitation continues.

In short:

• • Any CPR is better than no CPR
  • Compression-only CPR is absolutely acceptable
  • If you are trained and willing, giving breaths is even better

The most important thing is to start CPR immediately and push hard and fast in the centre of the chest while someone calls 999 and gets an AED.

Only leave a casualty to fetch an AED if you can get it and apply it within one minute. If this is not possible, start CPR immediately.