Absence of Heartbeat

A heart which has stopped beating can sometimes be made to start again by a
technique called chest compression.

Adults
Giving Chest Compression to an Adult

Give two breaths of mouth-to-mouth ventilation (see Absence of Breathing).
Place the heel of one of your hands two fingers' width above the junction of the ribs and the breastbone.
Place the other hand on top and interlock the fingers. Keeping your arms straight and your fingers off the chest, press down about 4 to 5 cm (around 2 inches), then release the pressure, keeping your hands in place.
Repeat the compressions 15 times, aiming at a rate of 80 per minute.

Children
Treating a baby (under 1 year of age)


Place the baby on a firm surface. Locate a position one finger's width below the nipple line, in the middle of the chest. 
Use two fingers to press the chest down by 2cm (a bit less than 1 inch).
Press five times ,at a rate of 100 comressions per minute (almost twice a second).
Continue mouth-to-mouth ventilation (see Absence of Breathing). Five 
compressions to one breath without stopping until help arrives.
Only if the baby's colour improves, check the pulse. If the pulse is present 
and above 60 per minute, stop the chest compression but continue to ventilate the 
lungs if necessary.



Treating a child  (over 1 year of age)





Place one hand two finger's width above the junction of the ribs and the breastbone.
Use the heel of that hand to press the chest down by 3cm (just over 1 inch)
Press five times ,at a rate of 100 compression per minute.
After five compressions, blow gently into the lungs once. Continue mouth-to-mouth ventilatation (see Absence of Breathing), giving five compressions to each breath
without stopping until help arrives.
Only if the baby's colour improves, check the pulse. If the pulse is present, stop the 
chest compressions, but continue to ventilate if necessary.