With chest compressions, the correct ‘compression rate’ is very important. If you go too slowly, blood will not reach the vital organs. If you go too fast, the heart cannot fill properly with blood. Therefore, aim for 100-120 compressions per minute. That is approximately 2 compressions per second.

Good to know: Many AEDs indicate the correct tempo with an audible signal.

With the correct ‘depth’ of chest compressions, you ensure that the heart can pump blood effectively to the vital organs. Therefore, make sure to consistently press the sternum about 5 to 6 cm.

During resuscitation, it is important to let the chest rise completely (after compression). This gives the heart the opportunity to fill with oxygen-rich blood and increases blood flow.

There are AEDs that help you with the correct tempo and depth of chest compressions through direct resuscitation feedback.

View all AEDs with direct resuscitation feedback

The chance of survival during cardiac arrest is greater if you perform continuous resuscitation. Therefore, try to take as few breaks as possible and only stop CPR when the (connected) AED asks you to or when someone else takes over the resuscitation.