How the Bee Gees can save your life

[archerships]

CPR Gives “Stayin’ Alive” New Life:

The Bee Gees disco song “Stayin’ Alive” might help people stay alive when they get cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) — if their rescuer knows the 1977 tune.

It turns out that “Stayin Alive” has a beat that’s in sync with the recommended pace for chest compressions given during CPR. So researchers put the pop tune to the test

Also, forget about giving mouth to mouth.

Of the people who received only chest compressions and had at least an erratic heartbeat by the time emergency medical staff arrived 19% survived without any brain damage, whereas 11% of those who received CPR had this favorable outcome. Only 8% of those with a heartbeat who received no assistance from bystanders survived without brain damage.

For reference:

My god, did you know that Sylvester Stallone directed a sequel to “Saturday Night Fever” titled “Stayin’ Alive”?!?

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Original: craschworks - comments

Comments

[ladykalana.livejournal.com]

Oh god, did you look at the pictures for that movie? The one with Travolta in hot pants? So, so super gay.

[waitingforoct.livejournal.com]

Actually, I just took the advanced renewal course (ACLS) and our instructor says she uses "Another one bites the dust" for chest compressions - kind of morbind, but impossible to forget!

[nelliebelle.livejournal.com]

the only person i've ever given CPR to had his jaw clenched shut and we weren't able to give him the rescue breaths, so we cranked up his oxygen tank and just did chest compressions. he lived and was out of the hospital the next day. my certification is expired, so i guess i'm not supposed to be doing it anymore, but if i have to i may skip the mouth part. especially if it's someone i don't know or there is blood involved.

[drewkitty.livejournal.com]

>> o i guess i'm not supposed to be doing it anymore

I am a first aid / CPR instructor at the lay and professional levels, as well as an EMT.

AHA "Hands Only CPR" is intended for all laypersons and bystanders, whether trained or not, certified or not, expired or not.

You go right ahead and do chest compressions! Ditto to anyone else who is reading this.

[nelliebelle.livejournal.com]

awesome, thanks! hopefully i won't be in that situation again though. i get emotional just thinking about it. obviously i could never do what you do.

[drewkitty.livejournal.com]

Sure you can. I mean, you did, right? Thanks for what you did. It's not much fun, but one does what needs to be done and gets the shakes, etc. later when it won't hurt anybody. Be well.

[nelliebelle.livejournal.com]

haha i definitely did, got the shakes, and then also smoked 2 cigarettes (i'm not a smoker) and cried a lot. the scariest part was not knowing whether or not he had a pulse because i was too worked up to find it, and it was an elderly man so i wasn't interested in potentially breaking his ribs for nothing. i still can't believe everything worked out so well.

[(Anonymous)]

I was amazed at the way that, the one time I had to use my training, my mind cleared and the only thing in it was the numbers. It turns out I don't even remember 'em any more (it was an infant, so they were different than the adult numbers). I totally wigged out afterwards, but in the moment I was able to do what needed to be done. I'm guessing that most people are actually like that.

Yet another reminder that I need to re-up my certs.

[nelliebelle.livejournal.com]

yeah the adrenaline really gets you through it. when the guy first collapsed, i backed off because i was at a wedding and not familiar with anyone but the bride, and it was the groom's father who was down. one of his sons said "we need to do CPR" to me and i was like "ok do it" then he told me he didn't know how. as soon as i said "i do" the rest is like an out of body experience in my memory.

then i had a temporary mental breakdown when it was over.

Ick

[being4mybenefit.livejournal.com]

"Stayin' Alive" is an awful, terrible movie.

[drewkitty.livejournal.com]

Chest compressions are lifesaving and should always be done as they involve minimal risk to the rescuer. They should be started immediately after calling 911 when a person has no breathing and looks pale, cold and still. No training or certification is required, under the guidelines of the American Heart Association "Hands Only CPR."

Rescue breathing is not harmful in itself. Stopping chest compressions for any reason is very harmful.

A person well trained in CPR will only stop chest compressions briefly (". . . 28, 29, 30 . . . breath, breath . . . 1, 2, 3, 4") and will not waste time on anything else until advanced providers take over or an AED is available.

Well performed CPR is better than chest compressions. Basic Life Support / professional CPR is better yet. However, CPR is a perishable skill and takes consistent effort to stay current. Masks and BVMs make a big difference in protecting the rescuer from the small chance of hepatitis and other bloodborne pathogen exposures.

What has been happening is that people poorly trained in CPR, or after several months, are hesitating in their performance of the skill. All of this hesitation is doing something OTHER than chest compressions.

Chest compressions are far, far better than nothing. This is the take-home lesson.

The Tokyo study assumes bystanders present, witnessed arrest, in an urban setting with rapid response times. This is an unsafe assumption for many of us. Even in urban San Francisco, response times are over seven minutes. Most arrests are not witnessed so you don't know how long the person has been down.

In children, breathing problems cause cardiac arrest far more often than the reverse. So breaths are the lifesaving element for 12 and under.

CPR should be stopped and an AED applied as soon as it becomes available. Turn the AED on, listen to it, and do exactly what it says to do.

:) Thanks for posting.