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Bee Gees song Stayin’ Alive helps doctors perform CPR
No comments · Posted by beerorkid in random crap
The Seventies disco anthem contains 103 beats per minute, just three beats more than the 100 chest compressions per minute recommdended by the American Heart Association.
Keeping time with the song helped a small group of doctors at the University of Illinois medical school maintained close to the ideal number of chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Study author Dr. David Matlock said that while CPR can triple cardiac arrest survival rates when properly performed, many people hesitate to do it because they’re not sure about keeping the proper rhythm.
He found that Stayin’ Alive, which has a way of getting stuck in your head anyway, can help.
The research involved 15 doctors and students doing CPR on mannequins while listening to the song on iPods. They were asked to time chest compressions with the song’s beat.
Five weeks later, they did the same drill without the music but were told to think of the song while doing compressions.
The average number of compressions the first time was 109 per minute; the second time it was 113. That’s more than recommended, but Mr Matlock said that when it comes to trying to revive a stopped heart, a few extra compressions per minute is better than too few.
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