First Aid and CPR/AED Level C Practice Exam

Place the heel of one hand in the center of the chest, on the lower half of the sternum, with the other hand on top and fingers interlaced. This position directly over the heart allows compressions to push blood effectively with each push, while the lower-sternum placement helps avoid injuring the xiphoid process or abdominal structures. Keeping your arms straight and shoulders over your hands lets your body weight contribute to the depth, and you can achieve about 2 inches (5 cm) of depth with complete recoil between compressions. Placing the hands off-center, toward the left chest or higher up across the chest, reduces the effectiveness and can increase injury risk, and pressing on the back would not compress the chest properly.