Music and CPR: has Vinnie got it right?

Woollard M , PoposkiJ, McWhinnieB (2012) Achy breaky makey wakey heart? A randomised crossover trial of musical prompts. Emerg Med J29(4): 290–4. doi:10.1136/emermed-2011-200187

Each year in the UK there are around 123 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests of known cardiac origin per 100 000 people aged under 76. Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has shown to improve discharge rates up to threefold. However, evidence suggests that CPR quality is often poor, even when performed by trained health professionals.

This study was carried out during the Australian College of Ambulance Professionals’ conference in Auckland, New Zealand. A randomised crossover trial was devised to determine the impact of music on rate and depth of chest compressions by healthcare professionals.

Participants performed compressions to no music (NM), Billy Ray Cyrus’s 1992 hit Achy Breaky Heart (ABH), and French electronic artist Mirwais’ 1999 Disco Science (DS).

Building on previous research, this trial tests the hypothesis that songs with a more pronounced beat might increase the numbers of pre-hospital health professionals delivering chest compressions at the correct rate and depth (in line with 2010 Resuscitation Council (UK) guidelines) when compared to delivering chest compressions to no music.