CPR – Would You Know What to Do in An Emergency?
Written by: Stephanie Austin, Founder & Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training
Reviewed: February 2026
Updated: 11th February 2026
Source: Resuscitation Guidelines 2025
Someone collapses.
You’re in a café. At work. At home.
They’re not responding.
That split second where your brain says, “What do I do first?”
This is exactly why the 2025 guideline updates matter.
The Primary Survey has changed.
Not dramatically.
But importantly.
And when it comes to cardiac arrest, small changes in sequence can mean big differences in survival.
Let’s break this down properly, clearly and without fluff.
The 2025 Primary Survey: It’s No Longer DRABC
For years, we taught DRABC.
The 2025 update has amended this to:
DR<C>ABCDE
That little addition, the <C>, is not decorative.
It stands for:
Catastrophic or Life-Threatening Bleeding
And it now comes before ‘airway’.
Because if someone is bleeding out, oxygen and compressions won’t fix that.
The Updated Primary Survey (2025)
Here’s how it now runs under the updated guidance
D – Danger
Check for danger to yourself, the casualty and others.
No heroics. No becoming the casualty number two.
R – Response
Gently shake shoulders.
Shout: “Are you all right?”
No response? Which brings us to another important 2025 emphasis:
Call 999/112 as soon as the casualty is unresponsive
<C> – Catastrophic Bleeding
This is new in the primary survey sequence.
Look quickly for:
- Heavy, uncontrolled bleeding
- Spurting blood
- Blood pooling rapidly
If present:
- Apply direct pressure immediately
- Use dressings or haemostatic dressings if available
- Apply a tourniquet if trained and necessary
Control the bleeding before moving on.
Because catastrophic bleeding can kill within minutes.
A – Airway
Open the airway using head tilt and chin lift.
New clarification:
If spinal injury is suspected and the casualty is unconscious, use a jaw thrust technique instead
B – Breathing
Check for normal breathing for no more than 10 seconds.
Agonal gasps are not normal breathing.
The guidance reinforces that emergency call handlers can help identify agonal breathing if you use speakerphone
Put the phone on loudspeaker so you can continue your assessment.
If you’re alone and need to fetch an AED, only do so if you can retrieve it within one minute. Otherwise, start CPR immediately
C – Circulation
If they are not breathing normally:
Start CPR immediately.
No pulse checks for lay responders.
No waiting.
No overthinking.
30 compressions: 2 breaths
- Depth: 5–6 cm
- Rate: 100–120 per minute
- Allow full chest recoil
- Minimise time off the chest
Only stop compressions if:
- A medical professional tells you to
- The AED instructs you to stand clear
- You are physically exhausted
Rescue breaths should be just enough to make the chest rise. Avoid forceful ventilation
D – Disability
This is now explicitly part of the Primary Survey.
Assess the level of response using ACVPU.
That’s another 2025 update.
It used to be AVPU.
Now it’s:
- A – Alert
- C – Confused
- V – Voice
- P – Pain
- U – Unresponsive
Confusion is now recognised as an early red flag for brain dysfunction
You should consider causes such as:
- Stroke
- Low blood sugar
- Head injury
- Heat stroke
E – Exposure
Check head to toe for other injuries.
Prevent hypothermia.
This also sets you up for a proper secondary survey once life threats are managed
Additional 2025 CPR Clarifications You Should Know
These are practical, real-world points that matter:
Cardiac arrest in bed
Do not remove the casualty from the bed.
Remove pillows and kneel on the mattress to reduce the spring
AED Use
Do not delay defibrillation due to concerns about dignity.
It is safe to use an AED with an underwired bra
Adult pad placement remains:
- Right upper chest (below collarbone)
- Left side mid-axillary line
Why This Change Matters
The addition of catastrophic bleeding to the Primary Survey reflects modern trauma understanding.
Massive haemorrhage kills fast.
Brain injury from hypoxia kills fast.
The Primary Survey now prioritises both properly.
It’s clearer.
It’s sharper.
It removes hesitation.
And hesitation is the real enemy.
Doing Something Is Still Better Than Doing Nothing
People worry about:
“I might break ribs.”
You might.
They heal.
Cardiac arrest does not.
If someone is unresponsive and not breathing normally, they are clinically dead.
Your compressions are buying time.
Why Doing Something Is Better Than Nothing
It’s natural to feel hesitant in a crisis, but remember, Your Actions Matter.
You don’t rise to the occasion in an emergency.
You fall back on what you’ve practised.
The 2025 Primary Survey is not about making first aid more complicated.
It’s about making it more logical.
If you want to feel confident, not hopeful, when it matters most, that’s exactly what proper training gives you.
Because when someone collapses, there isn’t time to Google it.
Resources & Guidance
- Resuscitation Council UK – 2025 Guidelines
- Defibrillator Location – to locate your nearest public access defibrillator
- HSE First Aid Regulations
If you’ve read this far, well done.
If you’ve never refreshed your first aid skills since before the pandemic, now might be a sensible time.
Because when someone collapses, confidence doesn’t come from reading a blog.
It comes from practice.
You may want to book onto one of our first aid courses.
Disclaimer: Information shared here reflects current UK guidance at the time of writing and is for education only, not a replacement for professional training or medical advice.
