Definition
An emergency life-saving procedure performed when someone's breathing or heartbeat has stopped. It combines chest compressions with rescue breaths to keep oxygenated blood circulating to the brain and other vital organs until normal heart and lung function can be restored or advanced medical help arrives.
Plain English
A hands-on emergency technique used when a person stops breathing or their heart stops. You push on their chest in a steady rhythm and give breaths into their mouth to keep blood and oxygen moving until help arrives.
Context Anchor
In this chapter, CPR comes up in the context of exposure to dangerous chemicals, fumes, or vapors that could cause a person to stop breathing normally or collapse.
Derivation
From Latin cardio (heart) and pulmonary (lungs), with resuscitation from Latin resuscitare meaning 'to revive' or 'to wake again.' The name describes exactly what the procedure supports: heart and lung function.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots may need to perform CPR during or after incidents involving chemical exposure, hypoxia, or other in-flight medical emergencies to preserve life until professional help is available.
Intuition Check
CPR is not a cure for chemical exposure. It is emergency support for breathing and circulation until medical professionals can treat the cause.
Example Sentence 1
After pulling the unconscious passenger clear of the cabin, the pilot began CPR while the other crew member called for emergency services.
Example Sentence 2
All pilots are encouraged to maintain current CPR certification as part of their overall emergency preparedness training.