Viral video reveals how knowing a few Taylor Swift hits could save a life

WHILE we can’t all be trained medical professionals, there are certain tips and tricks you can learn that could help you save a life.

Performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can be tricky if you don’t know how, but you can actually master the skill by just knowing the beat to some of Taylor Swift’s biggest hits.

 

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Knowing how to correctly perform CPR could help you save someones lifeCredit: Getty – Contributor

There are a number of Taylor Swift songs that are 100 beats per minute so can be used to perform the procedure

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There are a number of Taylor Swift songs that are 100 beats per minute so can be used to perform the procedureCredit: Getty

According to the Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK), fewer than one in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

This is low compared to other countries like Norway where seven in ten people survive.

If someone has a cardiac arrest it’s important that you know what to do.

You should call 999 immediately and a paramedic will then help guide you through CPR.

There are different techniques,with one of the most popular being to do the compressions to the lyrics of the Bees Gees song Stayin’ Alive.

A chest compression is where you clasp your hands together and push hard and fast on the chest to help pump blood around the person’s body.

In one viral video, a TikToker posted that she had ‘some information that could help you save a life’.

The social media user, who goes under the handle @shampain.problems, in a nod to Taylor’s track ‘champagne problems’ on her most recent album Evermore, revealed the Taylor Swift songs that are one hundred beats a minute and could therefore help with CPR.

She explained: “First up is ‘I Think He Knows’, I found it entertaining that all of these songs contain a lyric that can relate to saving a person from cardiac arrest”.

The song is from Taylor’s 2019 album Lover and TikToker Eileen explained that the lyric ‘he got my heartbeat skipping down 16th avenue’ is helpful.

The second she says is Taylor hit ‘Stay Stay Stay’ from her album Red, with the lyric ‘I think it’s best that we both stay’.

She joked that it’s ‘best that we both stay alive’.

SUSTAIN THE RHYTHM

Another track to use is called ‘All You Had To Do Was Stay’, from Taylor’s 1989 album.

She joked that ‘all you had to do is stay and keep breathing’.

“Another is 22, ‘everything will be alright if you keep me next to you'”, she added. Eileen then says that by using this track you would be helping to sustain someones heart rhythm, therefore keeping them alive.

The next track is a song called Clean, again from 1989.

Eileen explained: “When I was drowning that’s when I could finally (not breathe).”

Lastly she highlighted Fearless, from the album Fearless.

TOP TRACKS

Speaking to The Sun, Head of Education and Training Products at St John’s Ambulance, Andrew New, said it’s not just Taylor Swift fans who can save lives and highlighted his top tracks.

  • Dancing Queen, ABBA
  • I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor
  • MMMBop, Hanson
  • Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper
  • Imperial March (Star Wars), John Williams
  • “Baby Shark Dance”, Pinkfong

He also explained that while ‘Nellie the Elephant’ had been a popular song for CPR, that academic studies have advised against it.

A paper in the British Medical Journal stated: “Listening to Nellie the Elephant significantly increased the proportion of lay people delivering compression rates at close to 100 per minute.

“Unfortunately it also increased the proportion of compressions delivered at an inadequate depth.

“As current resuscitation guidelines give equal emphasis to correct rate and depth, listening to Nellie the Elephant as a learning aid during CPR training should be discontinued”.

How to save a life and correctly perform CPR

RCUK says you should follow these tips when it comes to helping to resuscitate someone.

  1. Shake the person gently and then shout for help
  2. Call 999
  3. If you think the person might have Covid-19 and could be infectious then don’t put your face to close to theirs. The RCUK suggests using a towel or a piece of clothing to lay over their mouth and nose
  4. Give chest compressions only – do not give rescue breaths
  5. Continue to do this until an ambulance arrives
  6. After the ambulance crew have taken over wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water or use an alcohol based hand gel.

Sue Hampshire, Director of Clinical and Service Development at RCUK said: “We want as many people as possible to know how to do CPR so they have the skills and confidence to help if someone collapses and stops breathing normally.

“Quickly calling for help and quickly starting chest compressions are crucial first steps in giving someone their best chance of life.

“We know that songs with the right tempo are a good way to learn and remember the pace of chest compressions, which should be 100-120 compressions per minute. ”

She added that in a real emergency an ambulance call handler will count the beat with you, so don’t worry if a song doesn’t spring to mind.

“The ambulance call handler will instruct you to interlock your fingers, place your hands in the centre of the person’s chest, and push down hard and then release twice per second, until further help arrives.

“So whoever your favourite artist and whatever your favourite CPR song with the right tempo, what matters most is that you act in an emergency. If it helps you, you can sing that song in your head while doing the chest compressions”, she added.

There are other simple ways to learn CPR.  Our simple animation talks you through what to do www.resus.org.uk/watch and you can put yourself realistically in the heart of the action by playing Lifesaver at www.lifesaver.org.uk.

The RCUK states: “When it comes to CPR, the important thing is to give it a go, even if you haven’t done it before. By doing CPR in an emergency, you’re giving someone a chance of survival that they won’t have without you.

“You should keep a steady rhythm of about 100-120 compressions every minute. Try humming ‘Baby Shark’ or ‘Stayin’ Alive’ to help you keep the beat.”

Or as this TikTok suggests, use one of the six Taylor Swift songs that are 100 beats per minute.

The RCUK also suggests that as well as CPR you learn how to do rescue breaths.

This is also known as mouth to mouth and can help give the person oxygen that could help them to breathe again.

“We recommend doing rescue breaths if possible. For every 30 chest compressions you do, you should do 2 rescue breaths.

“However, you might not be able to give rescue breaths, for example if the person has blood or vomit on or in their mouth. If that’s the case, stick to chest compressions”, the RCUK added.

One TikToker explained how some of Taylor's tracks could help you save a life

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One TikToker explained how some of Taylor’s tracks could help you save a lifeCredit: tiktok/shampain.problems

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