Introduction. The chances of survival of the injured person were often increased thanks to the fast reaction of random witness giving first aid. Unfortunately, young people are not willing and do not have enough knowledge to take such action, which is a serious social problem. The knowledge about first aid is constantly being updated and published, therefore it is worth to be refreshed and deepened in order to be able to give the best help if it is necessary. Aim. The aim of the research was the comparison of students’ knowledge about basic life support performed on adults, children and infants. Material and methods. The researched group consisted of 120 first and last year students attending three different state universities in Łódź in the 2012/2013 academic year. The authorial questionnaire was used as a research instrument. Results. The level of knowledge of state universities students in Łodź about giving first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation is unsatisfactory. Conclusions. Researched students of Medical University of Łódź have better knowledge about CPR than students of University of Łódź and Łódź Univeristy of Technology, moreover last year students’ knowledge is better than knowledge of first year students. Differences between first and last year students arise from many reasons including little number, lack or bad leading of classes about giving first aid.

Key words: first aid, CPR, students’ knowledge.