11/19/2025
Key Updates for AHA CPR & AED 2025:
Opioid emergency response: The updated guidelines place a greater emphasis on administering naloxone and making emergency kits more accessible to the public.
CPR techniques:
Infant: New recommendations for infant chest compressions suggest using either the one-hand or two-thumb encircling hands method, as the two-finger technique is no longer considered sufficient for depth.
For choking, the updated approach involves giving five back blows followed by five chest thrusts.
Children: The guidelines provide a more specific compression depth of \(1/3\) of the chest diameter, not going deeper than \(2.4\) inches (\(6\) cm).
AED use: The AHA now recommends using an AED earlier for infants under one year old, especially if equipment with pediatric capabilities is available.
Prone CPR: The guidelines offer guidance for performing CPR on patients who are lying face down and cannot be moved, recommending chest compressions on the side opposite the sternum.
Hyperthermia: For severe hyperthermia, ice water immersion is the favored method for quickly cooling the body.
Terminology: The term "lay rescuer" is now the preferred term for non-medical professionals, replacing previous terms like "bystander" or "lay person"
