In Canberra less then 40 per cent of people who have a sudden cardiac arrest are given CPR quickly and effectively.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services Simon Corbell launched yesterday the ACT Ambulance Service CPR awareness campaign, which encourages all Canberrans to learn the technique.

The chance of survival of such an attack without CPR is 10-20 per cent, but with the administration of CPR the chance of survival doubles, if CPR is correctly applied.

''Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the developed world. Sudden cardiac arrest is responsible for more then 60 per cent of adult deaths from coronary artery disease,'' Mr Corbell said.

''A critical factor in increasing survival ... is the application of prompt, effective cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.''

Ambulance Service clinical services manager Howard Wren said it was important for everyone to know CPR so they could save a life.

Even if you had already taken a CPR course, refresher courses were vital, particularly since the recommended CPR process had changed in the past two years.

The updated procedure placed an emphasis on chest compressions rather then mouth-to-mouth.

Mr Wren said that there was now less emphasis on checking for a pulse because the average person might find one where there actually was none.

To coincide with the campaign, the Ambulance Service has issued an updated flow chart that details the new procedure.

It is available from Canberra Connect shopfronts and ACT public libraries or can be downloaded from the ACT Ambulance Service website.