ReanimarSecção 03
Máscara de bolso para RCP
Why: torna as insuflações mais fáceis e higiénicas. Cabe no porta-luvas ou no kit.
Essential guide · Base level · 8 min
Essential guideBase level · open to all8 min read
Basic life support: assess, call 112 and resuscitate
How to recognise cardiac arrest, give chest compressions and use a defibrillator, put someone in the recovery position and help a choking adult — following INEM and the ERC 2025 guidelines.
Reviewed 1 Oct 2026
09·ABasic life support
In 30 seconds
The essentials, in four points.
10 s
to check whether the person is breathing normally. Sighs, snores or gasps don't count: that's the agonal breathing of cardiac arrest.
112
Call straight away and put the phone on speaker. The call handler helps you recognise cardiac arrest and tells you what to do, step by step.
30 : 2
30 compressions in the centre of the chest, 5 to 6 cm deep, at 100 to 120 a minute, then 2 rescue breaths. If you can't give breaths, do compressions only.
AED
If there's a defibrillator nearby, send someone for it and switch it on. It talks you through what to do. Every minute without defibrillation counts.
01Why it matters
In cardiac arrest, the person next to you is the first responder.
When the heart stops, the brain starts to suffer damage within a few minutes — long before an ambulance can arrive. What happens in those minutes depends on who is nearby: starting chest compressions and using an automated external defibrillator (AED) greatly increases the chance of survival. According to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC), every minute of delay in defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by about 10%.
You don't need to be sure it's cardiac arrest. The 2025 European guidelines are clear: anyone who is unresponsive and not breathing normally should receive CPR, without fear of doing harm.
02Assess
Safety. Response. Breathing.
Step 1
Safety
Before you approach, look around: traffic, fire, live wires, gas, someone violent? Don't put yourself or others at risk.
Step 2
Response
Gently shake their shoulders and ask loudly: “Can you hear me?” If they respond, leave them as they are and ask what happened.
Step 3
Breathing
If there's no response: hand on the forehead, two fingers under the chin, tilt the head back. Look, listen and feel for normal breathing, for up to 10 seconds.
1
Does the person respond when you speak to them and touch their shoulders?
Yes
Stay with themLeave them as they are, ask what happened and call 112 if needed. Reassess often.
No
2
No response, but breathing normally?
Yes
Recovery positionCall 112 and put them on their side (section 04), unless there has been an injury. Keep checking their breathing.
No
3
No response and not breathing normally — or only gasping?
Yes
Cardiac arrest: 112 and CPRCall 112 on speaker, send someone for an AED and start compressions now (section 03).
No
If in doubt, startIt is far more dangerous not to give CPR to someone in cardiac arrest than to give it to someone who isn't.
03Resuscitate
Push hard, push fast, don't stop.
1
Call 112 on speaker and say exactly where you are: address, town, landmarks. Don't hang up until the call handler says so. If someone else is there, they call while you start.
2
Person on their back, on a firm surface, chest uncovered. Kneel beside them.
3
Heel of one hand in the centre of the chest, the other on top, fingers interlocked. Arms straight, shoulders over your hands.
4
Press 5 to 6 cm, 100 to 120 times a minute. Let the chest come fully back up between compressions, without leaning on it.
5
After 30 compressions, 2 rescue breaths: head tilted back, pinch the nose, seal your mouth over theirs and blow for about 1 second until the chest rises. Give both breaths quickly and go straight back to compressions.
6
Can't or won't give breaths? Do compressions only, without stopping, at least 100 a minute. It's far better than nothing.
7
Don't stop until professional help arrives, the person wakes up and breathes normally, or you're exhausted. If someone else is there, swap every 2 minutes.
Plate 09·B — Using an AEDAutomated external defibrillator
04Recovery position
For someone who doesn't respond but is breathing.
Plate 09·C — Recovery positionThree moves
1
Keep the airway open with the head tilted back, and check breathing regularly. If they stop breathing normally, roll them onto their back and start CPR.
2
Don't use the recovery position after an injury or suspected injury — a fall from height, a road crash, a heavy blow. If they're breathing, don't move them, unless the place is dangerous or you can't keep the airway open.
05Choking
Cough. Five back blows. Five abdominal thrusts.
Plate 09·D — Clearing the airway (adult)Back blows and abdominal thrusts
1
Can they speak, cough and breathe?
Yes
Encourage coughingCoughing works best. Don't intervene while they're coughing strongly: stay beside them and watch.
No
2
Can't speak, weak or no cough, hands at the throat?
Yes
5 blows + 5 thrustsUp to 5 back blows; then up to 5 abdominal thrusts. Alternate. Call 112.
No
3
Have they lost consciousness?
Yes
112 and CPRLay them on the floor, call 112 and start compressions. They may dislodge the blockage.
No
Afterwards, see a doctorAnyone who has had abdominal thrusts should be checked by a doctor, even if they feel fine.
06Six costly mistakes
Resuscitation myths — and what to do instead.
Myth
“If they're gasping, they're breathing.”
That's agonal breathing, typical in the first minutes of cardiac arrest. Call 112 and start CPR.
Myth
“I might break their ribs and make things worse.”
Someone in cardiac arrest who doesn't get compressions will die. European guidelines ask you to start without fear of doing harm.
Myth
“First I have to find a pulse.”
Not if you're not a health professional. Unresponsive and not breathing normally: start.
Myth
“Only doctors can use an AED.”
AEDs are made for anyone. They talk to you, analyse by themselves and only shock if needed.
Myth
“Without rescue breaths, there's no point.”
Continuous compressions are far better than nothing. If you can't give breaths, don't stop compressing.
Myth
“You fish out what's choking them with a finger.”
A blind finger sweep can push it further in. Only remove what you can see in the mouth; otherwise, back blows and abdominal thrusts.
07Recommended equipment
What protects you and helps you help.
The best BLS equipment is your hands and a course. A pocket mask makes rescue breaths easier and more hygienic, and gloves protect you. Keep them in the first-aid kit at home and in the car.
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ProtegerPasso 1
Luvas de nitrilo descartáveis
Why: protegem-te do sangue e de outros fluidos. Tem sempre algumas no kit.
KitSecção 07
Kit de primeiros socorros
Why: a base para casa e para o carro. Revê o conteúdo e as validades duas vezes por ano.
Quick card
Print it. Stick it by the first-aid kit.
Stick this sheet on the door of the cupboard where the first-aid kit lives and go over it with your family.
BLS · K72 sheet
1Safe to approach? Shake shoulders: “Can you hear me?”
2Head back; check for normal breathing, up to 10 s.
3Not breathing normally: 112 on speaker + ask for an AED.
430 compressions (5–6 cm, 100–120/min) + 2 breaths.
5AED: switch on and follow the prompts.
6Choking: 5 back blows + 5 abdominal thrusts.
09·A · k72plus.comEMERGENCY: 112
- INEM — Basic Life Support and Automated External Defibrillation Manual (2021, in Portuguese) — BLS sequence, calling 112, recovery position, airway obstruction
- European Resuscitation Council — Guidelines 2025: Adult Basic Life Support — 5–6 cm, 100–120/min, 30:2, AED
- European Resuscitation Council — The ERC Guidelines 2025 on Resuscitation for Everyone — agonal breathing, compression-only CPR, 10% per minute, choking
Reviewed 1 Oct 2026 · Next review: Mar 2027 · Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
This guide does not replace a basic life support course or the instructions of the 112 call handler. In an emergency, call 112 and follow their instructions.
