In India, it’s become common to hear, “These days, heart attacks have no age.” And yet there’s a glaring gap: most people still don’t know how to perform CPR, which is a basic medical skill during an emergency. India’s age-standardised cardiovascular disease (CVD) death rate stands at 272 per 100,000, significantly higher than the global average of 235. Even more alarming, data from 2020 to 2023 reveals that nearly 50 per cent of heart attack patients are under the age of 40. 

In the event of a sudden cardiac arrest, administering CPR immediately can triple the chances of survival. Recognising this, the Indian Academy of Paediatrics and other key medical institutions have endorsed CPR guidelines tailored for different age groups, anchored in the CAB approach: Compressions, Airway, Breathing. Until professional help arrives, your quick response can mean the difference between life and death. Here's what you need to do:

Related article: First Aid for Heart Attack: What to Do In An Emergency

Don’t Be A Bystander, Know What Is CPR

With sudden heart attacks and silent cardiac arrests becoming common, knowing how to give CPR becomes a basic & crucial medical skill. CPR stands for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and can triple a person’s chance of survival, especially when done within the first 3–5 minutes of collapse.

Step 1: Call for Emergency Medical Help Immediately

• Check if the person has collapsed and isn't responding
• Call 108 (India’s medical emergency number). If you’re in an area where 108 isn’t responsive, try 112 or the local hospital number
• Put the phone on speaker mode, while some dispatchers can guide you.

Please note: Don’t wait to “confirm” a heart attack. The more time you let go, the more heart muscle will be lost. Assume cardiac arrest if unresponsive and not breathing properly.

Step 2: Check for Responsiveness and Safety

• Gently tap the person’s shoulder.
• Try to get a response if they are okay.
• Look for any sign of movement or reaction.

If you get no response, proceed to check breathing and begin CPR. 

Please note: If your first thought is "What if I hurt them?", please know that if they don’t need CPR, they will wake up and stop you. If they do need CPR and you do nothing, they could die. It’s better to try.

Step 3: Check for Breathing — Not Pulse

• Tilt the head back slightly to open the airway.
• Look for chest movement.
• Listen for breathing sounds.
• Feel for air on your cheek.

Do this for no more than 10 seconds.

Please note: If you see them gasping, it’s not a sign of relief. Instead, it indicates chances of cardiac arrest and hence you must not wait.

Step 4: Start Chest Compressions (C – Compression)

Know Your Positioning:

• Kneel beside the person.
• Place the heel of one hand in the center of their chest (on the lower half of the breastbone/sternum).
• Place your second hand on top and interlock your fingers.
• Keep your arms straight and position your shoulders directly above your hands.

Practice This Technique:

• Push hard and fast — at least 5 cm (2 inches) deep.
• Allow full recoil of the chest between compressions (don’t lean on the chest).
• Aim for a rate of 100–120 compressions per minute.

Please note: The rate of compressions per minute matters the most, so count it out loud or take someone’s help. You can also try to match the beats of the famous song “Jai Ho” by A.R. Rehman.

Step 5: Provide Rescue Breaths (If Trained and Comfortable)

Hands-only CPR is now the global standard for untrained bystanders. But if you are trained, do, the full CPR cycle, which includes:

• 30 chest compressions and 2 rescue breaths

Know The Right Way To Give Rescue Breaths:

1. Tilt the head back, lift the chin.
2. Pinch their nose shut.
3. Take a normal breath, and make a seal over their mouth.
4. Give 1 breath — watch for chest rise.
5. Give the second breath. Then resume compressions.

Please note: Rescue breaths are optional if you're not trained or are uncomfortable. Chest compressions alone still save lives.

Step 6: Do not stop unless

• The person starts breathing or moving.
• Medical help takes over.
• You’re too physically exhausted to continue.

This might take 5–10 minutes or more — stay strong.

Know This: The Law Is on Your Side

India’s Good Samaritan Law protects anyone who helps during a medical emergency. Whether you're on the road, in a mall, or in a workplace, you will not be held liable for helping a person in distress.

If a person collapses in front of you, don't look around hoping someone else would know how to give CPR. Be that someone. Every Indian deserves to know CPR — because you could be the one who brings a heartbeat back. Be a responsible human being by knowing what to do & taking regular health checkups.

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