Keeping the Beat in CPR

I remember my first CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) class many, many Earth cycles ago, and how we were told to alternate chest compressions with mouth-to-mouth breath resuscitation. And, I remember how some were getting light headed using that technique.

After all, it’s almost like talking while jogging. You need the oxygen yourself to sustain your muscular activity, and believe me, constant chest compressing takes quite a bit out of you if you’re the only one doing it for a victim.

A few years ago, that changed. It’s now acknowledged that the heart compressions, if aggressive enough (i.e., pump hard) can be sufficient.

But then, how is one to know how fast to compress? The answer is … Sing.

Staying Alive, the Bee Gees' 1977 disco song popularized by the opening scene following John Travolta in his famous Saturday Night Fever strut, has 103 beats a minute, pretty close to 100 compressions doctors recommend when administering cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Just make sure you call 911 first. And get someone to relieve you from time to time. And sing until the EMTs get there.

Here’s another song with approximately the same beat, but it’s not recommended – Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust.

Hmmm, I wonder why?