CPR Rate Guide

This calculator is a quick educational reference for three CPR parameters -- Target rate, compression depth midpoint, and compression-to-ventilation (C:V) ratio -- based on current AHA (American Heart Association) Basic Life Support guidance. AHA is used as the single primary reference throughout (rather than blending in ERC-specific details, like ERC's "5 initial rescue breaths" rule for infant/child resuscitation, under one ambiguous label) -- if your training follows ERC or another body, confirm details against that guideline directly. Target rate is 100-120 compressions per minute (midpoint 110) for EVERY patient group -- Adult, Child, and Infant all share the same rate target, so selecting a different Patient group never changes the displayed rate; only depth and ratio change by group.

Depth midpoint differs by group and reflects the actual AHA-specified range for each: Adult targets 55 mm, the midpoint of AHA's 50-60 mm (2-2.4 in) range; Child targets 50 mm, AHA's "about 5 cm" (≈2 in) figure, which -- unlike Adult -- has no separately specified upper bound; Infant targets a shallower 40 mm, AHA's "about 4 cm" (≈1.5 in) figure, reflecting a smaller chest. Compression-to-ventilation ratio depends on rescuer count as well as age, which is why Patient group and Rescuer count are two separate inputs here: Adult stays at 30:2 regardless of rescuer count (without an advanced airway in place), while Child and Infant both use 30:2 for a single rescuer and switch to 15:2 once a second rescuer is present. This tool is explicitly an educational summary, not a training substitute -- always follow your current AHA certification course for live resuscitation, since guidelines are periodically updated and a memorized reference can lag behind the most current training.