Doc Gurley is a Board-certified Internist physician and the only Harvard Medical School graduate to have been awarded a Shoney’s Ten-Step Pin for documented excellence in waitressing. Can the BeeGees’ disco-beat mean the difference between life and death? Could a glitter ball of rhythm be your own, personal, proven, life-saving weapon? You’ve read some outrageous stuff here at Doc Gurley, but this time you’re not buying it, are you? Let me guess, you’re saying to yourself, give me a break – there’s absolutely no way.
But it’s true! Because this week, the American Heart Association, that staid and crusted organization of medical inertia, officially said, to the entire world, that when it comes to death-defying disco: way, dude.
How is this possible? The American Heart Association finally (after many studies) endorsed compression-only CPR as a life-saving maneuver. If an adult collapses, you can go ahead and leave out the mouth-to-mouth. All you need, to save a life, is a steady beat, a disco-fast compression that never stops – specifically, chest compressions to the rhythm of that august BeeGees classic, “Stayin’ Alive.” So how can you get in on the action to protect those you love? It’s easy as a hip-twitching, white polyester dance-off. Here are the rules:You should still use mouth to mouth for 1) children who collapse, 2) anyone who’s overdosed and stopped breathing, and 3) anyone (adult or child) who drowns. But for everyone else, if an adult (stranger or loved one) collapses, shout for someone to call 911 and then start rapid chest compressions to the tune of “Stayin’ Alive.” If you’re afraid you might freeze when the crisis moment comes, practice in your mind all the steps–or, better yet, sign up for a CPR course and practice it for real. Let’s all take a moment, click the video above, then sit back and enjoy a retro glimpse at the ultimate death-defeating rhythm of life: disco. Yeah, baby.
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It’s weird that the Bee Gees don’t dance; they just sort of walk around…
[...] Home Message? Learn CPR. Remember – time is of the essence. And check out the Doc Gurley post on Disc Defeats Death for a catchy way to remember how to perform CPR [...]