Sunday, October 19, 2008

Science Proves: A DJ Saved My Life

You may remember the song "Stayin' Alive" from the movie Saturday Night Fever, but did you know that it was actually designed to be used as a medical aid in lifesaving efforts?

Okay, that's a bit of a lie. But not much of one, since it apparently CAN be used as a medical aid in lifesaving efforts, specifically when performing CPR. I'm not kidding. The American Heart Association has been using it as a training tool for the past 2 years.

The song has 103 beats per minute, and it's almost the perfect rate for performing chest compressions. If you're trying to restart a stopped heart, listening to the song or trying to remember how it goes in your head will help you keep the right rhythm. The AHA tested it by having classes train while listening to it on iPods, and trying it again while remembering the song a week later, and both times it helped them keep the right pace to save a life.

What song would you prefer to save a life to?

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1 comment:

Lidian said...

That song always makes me laugh, because it really does sound like they are singing "pants are too tight" - in which case, it could be used to study the restriction of blood flow, I guess.

The header image is adapted from a photo taken by Bill McChesney and used under a creative commons license.
 
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