100 Beats per Minute...PO Day 87

 If you haven't taken a Red Cross course in the last ten years you may not know how the American Heart Association now recommends non-professionals administer CPR. The lay person who happens on a victim who is not breathing is supposed to 1. Stop and call 911, 2. Verify the victim is not breathing and has no pulse, and 3. Focus on strong chest compressions only at the rate of 100 beats per minute. But when it comes to pushing on the chest, just remember push hard and often. CPR experts said do not stop compressions even if you sense the victim's ribs are breaking. They can heal easily after your victim regains a heart beat. The main concern is getting the heart to resume beating. A spokesman for the AHA pointed out that, even if you are not trained in CPR, doing nothing is not an option. You cannot make things worse for the victim who is not breathing and has no pulse.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in the U.S., with nearly 300,000 out-of-hospital cases reported annually. Nearly 80% of sudden cardiac events occur in the home. You may be the only chance your victim has.

According to a University of Hawaii biography, "Dr. Alson Inaba attended Tufts University School of Medicine, followed by a residency in pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Oakland Children's Hospital. He is an attending physician in the emergency department at KMCWC, and was recently selected to the AHA National Emergency Cardiovascular Care Program Administrative Subcommittee to oversee all the BLS, PALS and ACLS programs in the United States. He was also appointed to serve as the subcommittee's liaison to the National Subcommittee on Pediatric Resuscitation."

Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/healthy-choices/2013/06/cpr-use-the-beat-of-the-bee-gees-stayin-alive-to-save-a-life.html#stoInaba attended Tufts University School of Medicine, followed by a residency in pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine fellowship at Oakland Children's Hospital. He is an attending physician in the emergency department at KMCWC, and was recently selected to the AHA National Emergency Cardiovascular Care Program Administrative Subcommittee to oversee all the BLS, PALS and ACLS programs in the United States. He was also appointed to serve as the subcommittee's liaison to the National Subcommittee on Pediatric Resuscitation.

But his claim to fame came in 2005 when he was working with a group of medical students practicing  the proper method of CPR. As a teaching tool they made a humorous  video showing CPR administered to the tune Staying Alive by the Bee Gees. By chance or mystical medical inspiration the iconic disco song exactly fits the rapid beats per minute protocol for today's fast paced CPR. The near-perfect 103 beat per minute cadence gets stuck in your head and has turned out to be the ideal rhythm as a teaching tool for CPR instructors.  Inaba's musical technique has spread around the world. The American Heart Association has created an educational video featuring actor and medical doctor Ken Jeong and fire departments all over the country have followed suit with their own versions of Staying Alive.

One of Dr. Inaba's residents pointed out that Queen's Another One Bites The Dust has the same requisite 103 beats per minute but, for some reason, does not seem as inspiring.

We get to see just how courageous these Chattanooga firemen are in their public service video...
http://youtu.be/GMssc_c4pK8

Archive timeline: 2014: May and June - preparing for surgery, July - surgery and post op problems, August - recovery and physical therapy, September...