The “2025 American Heart Association (heart.org) Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC),” published the first full revision of lifesaving resuscitation guidance since 2020.

Guideline Highlights:

  • Choking in conscious children and adults recommends alternating five back blows followed by five abdominal thrusts, until the object is expelled or the person becomes unresponsive.
  • Choking in infants updated to alternate between five back blows and five chest thrusts using the heel of one hand, until the foreign object is expelled or the infant becomes unresponsive.
  • New algorithm for treating individuals with suspected opioid overdose, including public access on naloxone use.
  • The systems of care volunteer writing group elected to revert to a single chain of survival for all forms of cardiac arrest, whether adult or pediatric, in- or out-of-hospital.
  • Children 12 years old or older can be taught CPR and defibrillation.
  • Support for media campaigns, instructor-led training and community training.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), opioid use can lead to death because opioids affect the part of the brain that regulates breathing. Signs of an opioid overdose include: slow, shallow or no breathing, choking or gurgling sounds, drowsiness or loss of consciousness, small, constricted pupils, blue or grey coloring of the skin, lips or nail beds.

Early CPR could double or triple a person’s chance of survival. New recommendations include:

  • Consolidating the chain of survival into one chain, which highlights doing compressions and breaths, especially in children and infants.

Previously, there were separate chains of survival for adults, infants and children experiencing a cardiac emergency, and for cases of in-hospital and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

  • Aligning with new scientific evidence that suggests children 12 years old or older can be taught effective CPR and defibrillation.
  • Further improving lay rescuer response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, by recommending the use of media awareness and education campaigns, increased instructor-led training and expanded community training.

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