After reading the posts on CPR, I thought I would throw my 2 cents in for what it is worth. To be effective CPR must be started within 2-3 minutes of a cardiac arrest, preferable within the first minute. Without CPR and depending upon the age, medical condition (previous history), environmental factors (temperature) and several other factors, between 3-5 minutes post cardiac arrest, irreversible brain damage will occur, much after 5-8 minutes you are an organ donor. The exception for this is a cold water drowning, where individuals have been successfully revived with minimal or no detectable brain damage for 30 + minutes. Keep in mind some of the following: CPR, even CPR performed correctly often results in death. Sometimes the last beat of the heart is just that, the last beat. This does not mean you should not try to perform CPR; just that one should not blame one’s self, if the out come is not successful. The main cause of cardiac arrest in infants is respiratory arrest. That is why with infants and children it is suggested to perform 1 minute of CPR before activating 911, if you are alone. In a mass casualty incident, individuals in cardiac arrest are usually placed in a priority 4 category - untreatable. Bottom line: Everyone should take a basic first aid and CPR class. Pete