Do something.

That is the advice local health professionals offer if someone near goes into cardiac arrest.

Even if you are afraid of getting a disease from giving mouth-to-mouth or uncomfortable with the close contact with a stranger, you can still help save a person's life by pressing on the chest.

"If someone is going to die, we want you to do something," said Helen Viera, manager of the Natrona County branch of the American Red Cross. "We encourage compressions, even if you don't want to do breaths."

The American Heart Association said Monday that this hands-only approach to CPR works just as well as standard CPR for sudden cardiac arrest victims.

Before doing anything, people should call 911 if they see someone going into cardiac arrest. A 911 dispatcher can instruct someone how to do some variation of CPR.

Hands-only CPR calls for uninterrupted chest presses - 100 a minute - until paramedics take over or an automated external defibrillator is available to restore a normal heart rhythm.

In the last update to CPR guidelines in 2005, the heart association recommended alternating 30 chest compressions followed by two quick breaths until emergency services arrive.

"It takes away the risk of communicable disease," said Mark Meyer, ambulance manager for the Wyoming Medical Center. "The faster you do intervention, whether it is CPR, hands-only CPR or a defibrillator, the better the chance of survival."

Contact health reporter Allison Rupp at (307) 266-0534 or allison.rupp@trib.com.