CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is a relatively simple procedure that's surrounded with mystery. That mystique keeps many people from learning the potentially life-saving skill.

Fundamentally, chest compressions pump blood through a patient's body when his or her heart stops. Combined with rescue breathing, in which a rescuer fills the patient's lungs with air by blowing into his or her mouth, the procedure can sustain a patient until medical help arrives.

However, unlike on television, CPR by itself has a poor record of "bringing people back to life" or restarting their heart. Truthfully, that's not really its job -- its meant to keep the brain, heart, and other organs supplied with oxygen until advanced medical care arrives -- such as the fire department and ambulance.

Nonetheless, while we have procedures to restart the heart, the success of those procedures increases greatly if bystanders have done CPR. We'll use an automated external defibrillator and ambulance paramedics will use powerful drugs to encourage the heart back to life.

Unfortunately, some patients are too sick or injured. We do all we can, but sometimes that's not enough. As a first-aid provider who provides CPR and artificial breathing to a patient, recognize that you did too.

For more information about first aid and CPR training, contact the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association or our department.