A rescuer continues CPR until one of a few clear endpoints: the person shows obvious signs of life such as breathing normally or moving purposefully, trained responders take over, an AED instructs you to stand clear, the scene becomes unsafe, or you are physically too exhausted to continue. Knowing these endpoints prevents both stopping too early and hesitating to hand over care. If the person recovers, place them in the recovery position, keep monitoring their breathing, and stay until emergency services arrive. Stopping because you are exhausted is a legitimate endpoint — swap with another bystander every two minutes when possible to delay it.
A rescuer continues CPR until a clear endpoint: the person breathes normally or moves purposefully, trained responders or an AED take over, the scene becomes unsafe, or the rescuer is too exhausted t…