2025 Korean Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. Part 3. Adult basic life support

¹한림대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
²삼성서울병원 응급센터
³서울대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
⁴인하대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
⁵인제대학교 상계백병원 소아청소년과
⁶서울대학교 의과대학 소아청소년과학교실
⁷서울아산병원 디자인 콘텐츠팀
⁸가톨릭대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
⁹가톨릭대학교 성빈센트병원 응급의학과
¹⁰아주대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
¹¹남서울대학교 응급구조학과
¹²연세대학교 의과대학 응급의학교실
¹³연세대학교 원주의과대학 응급의학교실

Yong Soo Jang¹

, Gyu Chong Cho¹

, Jisook Lee¹⁰

, Ju Sun Heo¹³

Correspondence

Gyu Chong Cho ,Tel: 02-2225-2860, Fax: 02-488-0119, Email: emdrcho@naver.com,

Received: February 24, 2026; Revised: May 4, 2026 Accepted: June 10, 2026. Published online: June 30, 2026.

ABSTRACT

The 2025 Korean basic life support guidelines are evidence-based treatment recommendations for basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The 2025 guidelines recommend that after checking the response of a patient suspected of cardiac arrest, call 119 (emergency medical services) immediately and request an automated external defibrillator (AED) before performing procedures to confirm cardiac arrest, such as checking breathing. There is currently insufficient evidence into the clinical effectiveness of dispatcher actively instructing individuals who report an emergency to retrieve and use an AED, but one observational study reported an increase in some survival rates. The guidelines recommend that lay rescuers and emergency medical personnel who have been trained in and are willing to perform artificial ventilation should apply standard CPR including artificial ventilation, and that lay rescuers who are not trained in or do not want to perform artificial ventilation should perform compression- only CPR. The guidelines emphasize high-quality CPR, including effective chest compressions and ventilation. The application of a rapid AED is continuously emphasized, and the anterolateral positioning method is recommended as a priority for ease of application. Healthcare workers are recommended to perform standard CPR with a compression to ventilation ratio of 30:2 for patients suspected of having a high-risk pathogen infection and to wear appropriate personal protective equipment, including a mask or respirator appropriate for the suspected pathogen, gloves, a gown, and eye protection.

Key words: Resuscitation; Heart arrest; Guidelines