Are They Really “Stayin' Alive”?

Musical prompts can improve chest compression rates during CPR, but they don't seem to have an effect on compression depth.

Disco songs, such as the Bee Gees' “Stayin' Alive,” provide a perfect cadence for delivering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at 100–120 compressions per minute. To assess the effect of musical prompts on CPR performance, these authors studied 74 prehospital providers in Australia as they each performed three 1-minute sequences of continuous chest compressions on a resuscitation manikin while listening, in random order, to “Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus (121 beats per minute), “Disco Science” by Mirwais (105 bpm), or no music.

The proportion of participants delivering compressions at a rate of 100–120 bpm was significantly higher when they listened to “Disco Science” (82%) compared to “Achy Breaky Heart” (64%) and no music (65%). …

Reviewing Author

Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD, FACEP

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardSecurisyn

Editorial boardsThe Merck Manuals (Home and Physician Editions)

Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD, FACEP

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardSecurisyn

Editorial boardsThe Merck Manuals (Home and Physician Editions)