‘Stayin’ Alive’ Sets Pace for CPR

“Stayin’ Alive” may help people do just that if their hearts stop, researchers say. The catchy Bee Gees song has a quick, pounding rhythm — 103 beats per minute. And that helps people keep the right pace for CPR chest compressions, a study found. Researchers had 15 people do CPR on mannequins while listening to the song on iPods. Five weeks later, they did the same thing without the iPods. But they were told to think about the song. The first time they did 109 compressions per minute. The second time it was 113. The American Heart Association recommends 100 compressions per minute. That’s an increase from previous advice. The Associated Press wrote about the study October 16.