The Bee Gees' disco smash 'Stayin' Alive' is more appropriately titled than anyone could have realized - the 1977 hit is the ideal speed at which to perform chest compressions in heart attack victims. Having practiced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with the song, participants in a recent study could maintain the ideal rhythm weeks later by simply thinking of the tune as they performed the procedure.Dr David Matlock, an author of the study, said many people were put off performing CPR as they were not sure about keeping the correct rhythm. CPR can more than double the chance of survival after cardiac arrest, if performed properly.
The research from the University of Illinois, which will be presented during the American College of Emergency Physicians' scientific assembly in Chicago this month, found that at 103 beats per minute, Stayin' Alive is almost the same pace as the American Heart Association's recommendation of 100 compressions per minute for CPR.
In this study, 15 students and doctors first performed chest compressions on mannequins to the beat of Stayin' Alive. Five weeks later, they performed the same procedure 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.
Dr Matlock acknowledged that the pace kept in the second round was a little fast, but stated that when it comes to trying to revive a stopped heart, a few extra compressions per minute is better than too few. "It drove them and motivated them to keep up the rate, which is the most important thing," he told the Associated Press.
According to the BBC, a spokesman for the American Heart Association said that the organization had been using Stayin' Alive as a training tip for CPR instructors for about two years.
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