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30,000+ Students Sucessfully Trained Annually
30,000+ Students Sucessfully Trained Annually
Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED is a course developed by the American Heart Association (AHA) to teach non-healthcare providers how to respond to life-threatening emergencies until professional medical help arrives.
This study guide helps you review essential first aid, CPR, and AED skills before or after completing training. It covers how to recognize emergencies, activate the emergency response system, perform high-quality CPR, use an AED, and provide basic first aid care for common injuries and illnesses.
30 Minutes
August 2026
PDF Study Guide
After reviewing this guide, you should be able to:
– Describe the Universal Chain of Survival and explain why early action is important.
– Recognize cardiac arrest and activate the emergency response system.
– Perform high-quality CPR for adults, children, and infants.
– Use an automated external defibrillator (AED) safely.
– Respond to common first aid emergencies, including severe bleeding, burns, choking, allergic reactions, seizures, and environmental emergencies.
– Recognize opioid-associated emergencies and provide appropriate initial care.
Remember: Effective emergency response begins with staying calm, ensuring scene safety, calling for help, and providing care within the limits of your training until EMS arrives.
The Universal Chain of Survival describes the key actions that improve survival and recovery after cardiac arrest. These steps apply to people of all ages and emphasize the importance of rapid recognition, immediate care, and coordinated emergency response.
Preventing emergencies and being prepared to respond can improve outcomes. Preparation includes recognizing health risks, creating emergency action plans, ensuring access to AEDs, and maintaining CPR and first aid training.
Recognize cardiac arrest when a person is unresponsive and not breathing normally or is only gasping. Immediately call 911 or your local emergency number, send someone to get an AED if available, and begin emergency care as quickly as possible.
Start high-quality CPR immediately to help maintain blood flow to the brain and vital organs. Perform chest compressions at the recommended rate and depth, allow complete chest recoil, minimize interruptions, and avoid excessive ventilation.
Use an AED as soon as it becomes available. Follow the device prompts, ensure everyone is clear during rhythm analysis and shock delivery, and resume CPR immediately after the shock or when no shock is advised.
After EMS arrives, trained healthcare professionals will take over care and provide additional treatment. Continue following their instructions and provide any information that may help them care for the person.
The Universal Chain of Survival describes the key actions that improve survival and recovery after cardiac arrest. These steps apply to people of all ages and emphasize the importance of rapid recognition, immediate care, and coordinated emergency response.
Scene safety and assessment are the first steps you take before giving emergency care. By checking the area and the person’s condition right away, you can protect yourself and provide help as quickly as possible.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1. Make Sure the Environment Is Safe for the Rescuer | Before helping the person, make sure the area is safe for you and the person. If available, wear personal protective equipment (PPE), such as disposable gloves, to reduce the risk of contact with blood or body fluids—only approach when it is safe to do so. |
| 2. Check Responsiveness, Ask “Are You OK?” | Gently tap the person on the shoulders and ask loudly, “Are you OK?” This helps you determine if the person is responsive. If there is no response, act immediately and prepare to provide emergency care. |
| 3. Check for Normal Breathing | Check for responsiveness and normal breathing at the same time for no more than 10 seconds. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally or is only gasping, assume cardiac arrest, activate the emergency response system, send someone to get an AED (if available), and begin high-quality CPR immediately. |
| 4. Activate the Emergency Response System (Call 911 or Local Emergency Number). | If someone is nearby, ask them to call 911 and bring an automated external defibrillator (AED) while you stay with the person. If you are alone, call 911, put your phone on speaker, and follow the dispatcher’s instructions while beginning CPR as soon as possible. |
First aid is the immediate care given to someone who is injured or suddenly becomes ill until emergency medical services (EMS) arrive. Always make sure the scene is safe, use personal protective equipment (PPE) when available, and provide care within the limits of your training.
Adult CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) are critical interventions for a person in cardiac arrest. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally or is only gasping, activate the emergency response system, obtain an AED if available, and begin high-quality CPR immediately.
Place the heel of one hand on the center of the chest over the lower half of the breastbone. Put your other hand on top and lock your fingers together. Push the chest down at least 2 inches (5 cm) at a rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. Let the chest return to its normal position after each compression, and complete 30 compressions before giving breaths.
After 30 compressions, open the airway using the head tilt and chin lift technique. Place one hand on the forehead and gently tilt the head back while lifting the chin with two fingers. This opens the airway and allows air to reach the lungs more easily.
Give 2 rescue breaths using a pocket mask or face shield if trained and available. Each breath should be delivered over about 1 second and should make the chest visibly rise. Give only enough air to produce visible chest rise, and avoid excessive ventilation.
Turn on the AED and listen to the voice prompts. The device will guide you through each step.
Remove or move clothing so the person's chest is bare where the AED pads will be placed. Make sure the area where the pads attach is clear.
Apply the AED pads exactly as shown on the pad illustrations. For adults, place one pad on the upper right side of the chest and the other pad on the lower left side of the chest.
Make sure no one is touching the person while the AED is analyzing the rhythm or delivering a shock. Clearly say, "Clear," and confirm that everyone has moved away.
If the AED recommends a shock, make sure everyone is clear of the person and deliver the shock according to the device instructions.
Immediately restart CPR after the shock or when the AED advises that no shock is needed. Continue CPR and follow the AED prompts until emergency medical services arrive, the person shows signs of life, or you are unable to continue.
During adult CPR, follow a cycle of 30 chest compressions followed by 2 rescue breaths. Repeat this 30 to 2 pattern without stopping until an AED is available, emergency medical services take over, or the person begins to respond.
Remember the CPR Ratio
When someone has a sudden cardiac arrest, time is critical. Starting CPR right away and using an AED as soon as possible can double or even triple the person’s chance of survival because these actions help keep blood flowing and restore a normal heart rhythm.
Children and infants can experience cardiac arrest for different reasons than adults, but the basic goal of CPR remains the same: provide chest compressions and breaths to help move blood and oxygen through the body.
The main CPR differences are based on the size of the person and the rescuer’s ability to provide effective compressions.
| Person | Key CPR Differences |
|---|---|
| Adult | Use two hands for chest compressions in the center of the chest. |
| Child (1 year to puberty) | Use one or two hands depending on the child’s size and the rescuer’s ability to provide effective compressions. |
| Infant (Birth to 1 year) | Use two fingers for single-rescuer CPR or the two-thumb encircling technique when two trained rescuers are available. |
Continue CPR until:
Giving breaths during child CPR helps provide oxygen to the body when a child is not breathing normally. Follow the steps carefully and continue CPR with a 30 compressions to 2 breaths cycle until an AED is available or emergency medical services arrive.
| 1. Open Airway |
| Open the airway using the head tilt–chin lift technique. If you suspect a head, neck, or spine injury, use care when moving the person’s head, but do not delay opening the airway if rescue breaths are needed. |
| 2. Give Breaths |
| Give 2 rescue breaths using a pocket mask or face shield if trained and available. Make sure each breath creates a gentle rise of the chest. |
| 3. Watch the Chest |
| Watch the chest as you give each breath to confirm that it rises. Provide only enough air to make the chest visibly rise, and avoid giving too much air. |
| 4. Repeat the Cycle |
Continue CPR using the correct compression-to-breath ratio:
|
Choking can block the airway and prevent a person from breathing properly. Learning the right steps for conscious and unresponsive choking helps you respond quickly and provide effective help during an emergency.
| Aspect | Adult and Child (Conscious) | Conscious Infant (< 1 Year) | Unresponsive (All Ages) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action | Encourage the person to cough if they can cough forcefully. If they have a severe airway obstruction and cannot cough, speak, or breathe, perform 5 back blows followed by 5 abdominal thrusts, repeating the cycle until the obstruction is relieved or the person becomes unresponsive. | Give 5 back blows followed by 5 chest thrusts. Continue the cycle until the object is removed or the infant becomes unresponsive. | If the choking victim becomes unresponsive, carefully lower them to the ground and begin CPR immediately, starting with chest compressions. |
| Technique | Stand behind the person. Place a fist just above the navel, grasp it with your other hand, and deliver quick inward and upward abdominal thrusts until the object is removed or the person becomes unresponsive. | Support the infant face down on your forearm with the head lower than the chest for back blows. Turn the infant face up and give chest thrusts using two fingers in the center of the chest just below the nipple line. Never use abdominal thrusts on an infant. | Start CPR with chest compressions. Each time you open the airway to give breaths, look inside the mouth. Remove the object only if you can see it and remove it easily. |
| Modification | For pregnant individuals or persons with severe obesity, perform chest thrusts instead of abdominal thrusts. | Keep the infant’s head and neck supported during back blows and chest thrusts. Use gentle but firm movements appropriate for the infant’s size. | Do not perform a blind finger sweep. Only remove an object if it is visible and can be safely removed. Continue CPR until the object is removed, the person shows signs of life, or emergency help arrives. |
An opioid-associated emergency can cause a person to become unresponsive and stop breathing normally. Quick action can help save a life.
An opioid emergency may be suspected if a person is:
Use this checklist to review the key skills covered in this Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED Study Guide before attending hands-on practice or completing your skills evaluation.
☐ Scene safety assessment and personal protection
☐ Checking responsiveness and normal breathing
☐ Activating the emergency response system
☐ Performing adult CPR
☐ Performing child CPR
☐ Performing infant CPR
☐ Using an automated external defibrillator (AED) safely
☐ Responding to choking emergencies
☐ Providing first aid care for common emergencies
☐ Recognizing opioid-associated emergencies and responding appropriately
The Heartsaver Course helps you learn important skills to respond during an emergency and support someone in need. You can choose a learning style that fits your needs and earn a course eCard that stays valid for two years.
General Public / Workplace Rescuers
Course eCard Valid for 2 Years
Approximately 2–5 Hours; Varies by Course Path
Classroom • Blended • Selfguided
Remember: Recognize quickly, call 911 early, provide care within your training, and monitor the person until EMS arrives.
This study guide is based exclusively on American Heart Association (AHA) Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED course guidelines and is intended as a review resource. It does not replace official AHA course materials, hands-on skills practice, or certification requirements.
In short, learning life-saving skills builds the confidence needed to respond during emergencies. By understanding how to assess situations, provide care, and follow the Chain of Survival, you can make a real difference. Staying calm, acting quickly, and practicing regularly are essential for becoming a prepared responder. Your actions can help save lives and provide support when it matters most.
Ready to become certified? Join a Same Day CPR Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED class in Maryland and gain the skills you need to respond with confidence. Training is available in the Annapolis Medical Corridor, Ocean City, and Salisbury locations. Enroll today and take the next step toward being prepared to save a life.
