Oct 21, 2008 • 1 min read

Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive helps CPR technique

A University of Illinois study found the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive, at 103 beats per minute, helps students keep the rhythm of CPR chest compressions.

You see, the problem with performing CPR, is that a lot of people can't or aren't sure how to keep the correct rhythm required to keep a person's heart going. However, a study at the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine has discovered that The Bee Gees' 'Stayin' Alive' provides a useful guide, playing at 103 beats per minute, which is close to the rate of 100 chest compressions per minute required in CPR.

During the study, students performed CPR on dummies while listening to 'Stayin' Alive', timing their compressions with the beat of the song. After five weeks, they were asked to do it while just thinking of the song in their heads (presumably it wouldn't look good if they sang it out loud) and, on average, managed roughly the correct number of compressions.

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