Sto facendo la rianimazione!

I am doing CPR / I am performing resuscitation!

Pronunciation

ria-ni-ma-TSYO-ne — five syllables. Stress on fourth. Complex word — practice it.

When to use it

Tell the dispatcher when you have already started CPR. They will guide you on technique and rhythm.

What it means

'Sto facendo' = I am doing (present progressive). 'La rianimazione' = resuscitation/CPR. Full term: 'rianimazione cardio-polmonare' (RCP). The dispatcher will guide you: '30 compressioni, poi 2 insufflazioni' (30 compressions, then 2 breaths). Hands-only CPR ('compressioni toraciche senza insufflazioni') is recommended for untrained bystanders.

Variations

Sto facendo le compressioni toraciche.

I am doing chest compressions.

Specify the type — hands-only CPR is effective and now recommended for lay people

Quante compressioni al minuto?

How many compressions per minute?

Ask the dispatcher — standard is 100-120 per minute

C'è un defibrillatore vicino?

Is there a defibrillator nearby?

Ask someone to find the nearest AED ('DAE') while you continue CPR

Mini Dialogue

— Sto facendo la rianimazione! Quanto veloce? — Cento compressioni al minuto. Al ritmo di una canzone veloce. Continui! — Sta funzionando? — È impossibile saperlo ora. Non si fermi. Quanto manca l'ambulanza? — Due minuti. — Continui fino al loro arrivo. Sta andando bene.

— I am doing CPR! How fast? — One hundred compressions per minute. At the rhythm of a fast song. Keep going! — Is it working? — It is impossible to know now. Do not stop. How far away is the ambulance? — Two minutes. — Keep going until they arrive. You are doing well.

Cultural Note

The '100 bpm' CPR rhythm is often taught in Italy using the song 'Stayin' Alive' by the Bee Gees — which happens to be at exactly 100 bpm. Italian Red Cross ('Croce Rossa Italiana') and ANPAS train thousands of Italians in CPR annually. Since Law 116/2021, AEDs are legally required in all public buildings. The Italian acronym is 'RCP' (Rianimazione Cardio-Polmonare) or 'BLS-D' (Basic Life Support — Defibrillation).

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Fate presto, è urgente!

Dov'è il defibrillatore?

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