22/03/2026
🕺 THE CPR DEBATE: Why the Bee Gees are officially "Too Slow" 🩺
We often use songs to get the CPR compression rate of 100 to 120 beats a minute in our learners minds.
If you've been on one of our courses, you probably heard me singing along to "Nelly the elephant". Sorry about my singing!
But, is that the right pace?
We’ve been having a right old "rigorous" debate in the office this week about this.
It started with the classics, the Bee Gees "staying alive". but we quickly realized that what we thought was the gold standard might actually be letting us down in a crisis.
So, we did the math. Here is the official Highland First Aid breakdown of why your playlist matters for survival:
📉 The "Stayin' Alive" Trap
For years, everyone pointed to the Bee Gees. But at 103 BPM, it’s sitting right at the bottom of the recommended range. The problem? Human nature.
Research shows that once fatigue sets in (and it hits fast!), rescuers naturally start to slow down. If you start at 103, you’ll almost certainly drop below the critical 100 BPM mark within a minute. It’s the "acceptable-but-barely" force vector—and we don't do "barely" in Fort William!
🏎️ The Burnout Factor
On the flip side, if you try to go too fast (looking at you, Baby Shark), you hit the Rescuer Fatigue Vector. You’ll be gaffed before the ambulance even clears the roundabout.
🏆 THE "GOLDILOCKS" ZONE: 110 BPM
After our analysis, ABBA’s "Dancing Queen" has emerged as the undisputed champion.
Ironically, 110 BPM is the absolute "Eureka" point. It’s fast enough that even if you tire slightly, you stay well above the 100 BPM safety floor, but it’s sustainable enough to keep you going without collapsing.
The Conclusive Finding: "Dancing Queen" is the ideal, psychologically resilient, and—most importantly—rhythmically superior target for the Highlands.
Check the slide for the full data!
👇
Or, follow this link for the full story and an extended playlist!
https://www.highlandfirstaid.co.uk/post/what-tune-for-cpr
https://www.highlandfirstaid.co.uk
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