Overview
- A University of Pittsburgh team reviewed 169 U.S. scripted episodes aired since 2008 and found fewer than 30% showed hands-only CPR correctly.
- Nearly half of scenes included outdated steps such as rescue breaths (48%) or pulse checks (43%), diverging from American Heart Association guidance.
- On-screen cardiac arrests skew younger and occur in public settings, while most real events involve older adults and happen at home at roughly 80%.
- Fictional victims received bystander CPR in about 58% of cases, compared with less than 40% in real life.
- White men were overrepresented as recipients and rescuers, reflecting real-world disparities, and the research published in Circulation: Population and Outcomes calls for accuracy-focused partnerships.