The Addictive Mash-Up Song That Might Help You Save a Life

June 8, 2014 by No Comments

Jun 8, 2014

News & Views: From the Editors of Health

The Addictive Mash-Up Song That Might Help You Save a Life

June 6, 2014 | By Rachel Swalin

Now this is music to our ears. To celebrate National CPR Awareness Week, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the Wellpoint Foundation joined forces with DJ Earworm (the man behind the annual United State of Pop mix) to premiere a special mash-up for hands-only CPR.

The mix clocks in at 100 beats per minute, the exact rate at which you should perform chest compressions with hands-only CPR. What makes the mix even more awesome is that each song has a life-saving message, like “Push It” from Salt-N-Pepa and Karmin’s “Pulses.”

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People are more likely to commit the correct CPR rhythm to memory when trained to the beat of a familiar song, so you have our blessing to start rocking out to this tune as you please. (After one listen, you might even add it to your workout mix.) While you’re at it, turn up AHA’s new Spotify playlist featuring even more songs with 100 or more BPM.

In case you didn’t know, six years ago experts changed up the CPR guidelines, so resuscitation using mouth-to-mouth is really no longer required. In fact, skipping the breathing portion can help people feel more comfortable about performing CPR. And it’s just as effective: A 2012 study published in AHA’s Circulation found that hands-only CPR performed by bystanders helps keep more people alive with good brain function after experiencing a cardiac arrest.

A cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating completely (it’s different from a heart attack, where you’re in pain due to a heart blockage, but the heart is still beating). Call 911 immediately, because someone who’s had a cardiac arrest needs to have their heart shocked back into a regular rhythm with a defibrillator. Chest compressions can help a cardiac arrest patient survive until an ambulance arrives, or someone brings a portable defibrillator—which are now standard equipment in many public places.

Because four out of five cardiac emergencies take place at home, you could be the one to perform CPR on a partner, friend, or relative at some point in your life. While we hope you never have to do hands-only CPR, it’s a good idea to learn. Start by checking out AHA’s easy one-minute demo. As soon as you know it, you’ll be moving with the beat and learning how to save a life in the process.