What’s New in the 2025 AHA CPR & ECC Guidelines

The 2025 update from the AHA  of their CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) guidelines since 2020 was released in October. These changes reflect the latest science and aim to make lifesaving response clearer, more effective, and more accessible — whether you’re a bystander, healthcare provider, or instructor.

Here are the major updates:

Choking Response

• For conscious children and adults: The new guideline recommends alternating five back blows followed by five abdominal thrusts, repeating until the object is expelled or the person becomes unresponsive.

• For infants: Use five back blows, then five chest thrusts (with the heel of one hand), not abdominal thrusts, which were previously more commonly taught.

Opioid Overdose

• It provides signs to look for: slow, shallow/no breathing; choking or gurgling sounds; pinpoint pupils; skin color changes; and possible drowsiness or loss of consciousness.

• Also includes guidance on using naloxone (Narcan) for lay rescuers.

Rescuer Emphasis

• The 2025 update underscores public education and the importance of bystander CPR. Only ~41% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims currently receive CPR before EMS arrives.

• To increase lay rescuer response, AHA is advocating for media campaigns, more community training, and instructor-led CPR courses.

Pediatric Resuscitation

• In pediatric BLS: If a rescuer can’t encircle the child’s chest, compressions should be done with the heel of one hand, and AHA removed the prior “two-finger” option on infants because it was less effective.

Training Material Updates & Transition Timeline

• New course and training materials will be launched October 22, 2025, for many AHA products: BLS, ACLS, PALS, Heartsaver, etc.

• There is a 90-day transition period (from Oct 22, 2025) during which instructors must complete their update courses.

• After March 1, 2026, all instructors are required to use the new 2025 course materials.

Why These Changes Matter

• More Inclusive Resuscitation: By unifying the Chain of Survival, the AHA makes CPR training simpler and more consistent across different patient types. That means better retention for bystanders and first responders.

• Tackling the Opioid Crisis: In areas with high rates of opioid use, every bystander trained in CPR and overdose response becomes even more valuable.

• Choking Clarity: The refined choking recommendations make it clearer for lay rescuers to act, especially for infants — which can reduce hesitation and increase correct intervention.

• Training & Implementation: The AHA’s 90-day transition ensures instructors have time to update, but that also means training organizations (like CPR schools) need to plan ahead to fully switch over.

What CPR Students in Northern Nevada Should Do

• Check when your next class is being updated — ask whether the instructor is teaching with 2025 AHA materials.

• Refresh your knowledge of choking techniques, overdose response (naloxone), and understand the unified Chain of Survival.