Compress more, breathe less. That’s how to save the life of someone who has gone into cardiac arrest. Researchers have found that when paramedics administered 50 chest compressions—rather than the otherwise recommended 30—for every two breaths, survival rates nearly doubled from 7.5 per cent to 13.9 per cent. They say it takes five to seven chest compressions to raise the pressure enough to get blood flowing to the heart. Stopping too often for breaths means that with every interruption you have to start all over again building that pressure, which lowers the effectiveness of CPR.