Koen Monsieurs, MD, PhD
Koen Monsieurs, MD, PhD, emergency department, Antwerp University Hospital, and professor, faculty of medicine and health sciences, Antwerp University and Ghent University, Belgium.
If you saw someone collapse and stop breathing, you would probably rush over, call 911 and look around for (or ask someone to look for) an automated external defibrillator. If there were no defibrillator, you’d probably begin performing CPR by administering chest compressions.
With your adrenaline pumping, you might press your hands into the victim’s chest as fast as possible, hoping that the rapid compressions would move more blood and give the victim the best chance to live.
But as it turns out, a new study found that compressions that are very rapid aren’t more helpful. In fact, they may lower the victim’s chance of survival.
What’s the best speed? Here are some musical hints that will make the correct tempo very easy to establish and maintain. With this information, you will become a better lifesaver.
Chest compressions often save lives because they help pump blood to the heart and brain. The American Heart Association recommends that laypersons—not an emergency medical technician (EMT), for example—give compressions only for teens and adults. But pushing very fast isn’t more effective than pushing at a moderate pace, because fast compressions are usually too shallow to move enough blood through the body.
In the study, researchers measured the rate and depth of chest compressions when health-care workers administered CPR. They found that when the compression rate exceeded 145 per minute, the average depth of each compression was less than four centimeters. But when the compression rate was between 80 and 120 compressions per minute, the depth improved to about four and a half centimeters.
That half-centimeter may not seem like much of a difference, but it matters. A previous study showed that each half-centimeter increase in depth doubled a victim’s odds of survival. In fact, the recommended depth for a chest compression is even more than 4.5 centimeters. The American Heart Association recommends at least 5 centimeters.
So what’s the best speed at which to perform chest compressions? The American Heart Association recommends that they’re maintained at a rate of no less than 100 per minute and, ideally, should be at least 5 centimeters deep. (Also, delays and pauses can make CPR less effective, so it’s important to keep the rate even.)
You might have heard that it’s best to do compressions to the beat of the famous 1970s’ Bee Gees disco anthem, “Stayin’ Alive,” because its rhythm is 103 beats per minute. But in case that song isn’t in your repertoire, here is a list of other well-known songs that will instantly give you the lifesaving beat for CPR—and to make sure everyone’s covered, They are from every decade since the 1950s!
To make sure you’re remembering the right tempo for any of these songs, use the free online metronome at http://www.WebMetronome.com, and set it to the number of beats per minute listed below for each song.
Songs That Give You the CPR Beat
1950s – “Who Wrote the Book of Love” by The Monotones
(about 100 beats per minute)
I wonder, wonder who, who-oo-ooh, who
Who wrote the Book of Looooooove?
1960s – “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
(about 102 beats per minute)
I’m sittin’ on the dock of the bay
Watching the tiiiide roll away
1970s – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Diana Ross
(about 100 beats per minute)
There ain’t no mountain high enough
Ain’t no valley low enough
1980s – “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson
(about 100 beats per minute)
I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
1990s – “My Heart Will Go On” by Céline Dion
(about 100 beats per minute)
Near, far, wherever you are
I believe that the heart does go on
2000s – “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train
(about 100 beats per minute)
Hey soul sister
Ain’t that mister mister
On the radio, stereo
2010s – “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele
(about 106 beats per minute)
We could have had it all
Rolling in the deeeeeeep
Many of us might be worried about hurting someone by pressing too deeply during CPR. But lead study author Koenrad Monsieurs, MD, said that there’s very little chance that you would accidentally puncture someone’s lung, and even though you might break someone’s rib, a rib usually heals on its own without any problems—it’s a small price to pay for survival. For more information about CPR, visit CPR.Heart.org.