 CHAR: SPOILER: When Ethans wife is performing CPR on him, she is  doing the breaths incorrectly. As a nurse, she should know to tilt  his head back to clear the airway. The breathing, as she does it,  does Ethan no good. In addition, CPR is designed to keep blood  circulating until definitive care can be provided at a hospital.  Precordial thumps (pounding the chest with a fist) can only attempt  to jolt a fluttering heart back into a normal rhythm. Neither of  these techniques can restart a pulseless heart, much less suddenly  restore a victim to consciousness, as Ethan demonstrates.