Five years after the last issue of the guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care, in 2005 American Heart Association and European Resuscitation Council published new guidelines. In this review, basic life support (BLS) technique, indications for use of an automated external defibrillator (AED), recognition of sudden cardiac arrest, and management of choking (foreign-body airway obstruction) are presented according to the "Resuscitation Guidelines 2005."