Background: Approximately 18 million patients are treated in German hospitals annually. On the basis of internationally published data the number of in-hospital cardiac arrests can be estimated as 54,000 per year. A structured treatment of in-hospital resuscitation according to the current scientific evidence is essential. Aim: In-hospital resuscitation shows some special characteristics in comparison to resuscitation in emergency services, which are highlighted in this article. Material and methods: This article is based on the international guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) first published in 1992 by the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) as well as the amendments (current version 2010). Some current studies are also presented, which could not be taken into consideration for the guidelines from 2010. Results: High quality chest compressions with as few interruptions as possible are of utmost importance. Patients with cardiac rhythms which can be defibrillated should be defibrillated within less than 2 min after the collapse. There is no evidence that equipping hospitals with automated external defibrillators is an advantage for survival after in-hospital cardiac arrest. Endotracheal intubation represents the gold standard of airway management during CPR. During in-hospital resuscitation experienced anesthesiologists are mostly involved; however, the use of supraglottic airway devices may help to minimize interruptions in chest compressions especially before the medical emergency team arrives at the scene. Feedback devices may improve the quality of manual chest compressions; however, most devices overestimate the compression depth if the patient is resuscitated when lying in bed. There is no evidence that mechanical chest compression devices improve the outcome after cardiac arrest. Mild therapeutic hypothermia is still recommended for neuroprotection after successful in-hospital resuscitation. Conclusion: The prevention of cardiac arrest is of special importance. Uniform and low threshold criteria for alarming the medical emergency team have to be defined to be able to identify and treat critically ill patients in time before cardiac arrest occurs.