The American Heart Association and health insurer Anthem's philanthropic arm released a holiday playlist Dec. 11 aimed at helping listeners do CPR.
The 10-song playlist, released on music-streaming service Spotify, is meant to boost bystanders' confidence in delivering hands-only CPR, a procedure that can nearly triple a patient's chance of survival during a cardiac arrest, according to the AHA. Each of the songs on the playlist, which includes Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" and Wham!'s "Last Christmas," is 100 to 120 beats per minute — the recommended pace to perform chest compressions for CPR.
The playlist is part of the AHA's Hands Only CPR program, which is supported by the Anthem Foundation.
The AHA and the Anthem Foundation chose to release the playlist ahead of the 2018 holiday season, as research suggests heart-related deaths rise during Christmas.
"Knowing that heart-related deaths spike during the holiday season, the American Heart Association wanted to raise awareness about the signs of cardiac arrest and showcase the importance of learning hands-only CPR," Lana Gent, director of product and research innovation at the AHA's emergency cardiovascular care division, told Becker's Hospital Review.
"The new holiday playlist was created as a way for individuals to practice the skills that could save the life of a loved one during this family-oriented time of year," she added.
The holiday playlist isn't the first project of its kind. In May 2017, clinicians at NewYork-Presbyterian in New York City partnered with Spotify to compile a playlist of 46 songs at the right tempo for CPR. More than a year later, NYP's playlist has nearly 79,000 followers.
To listen to the AHA and the Anthem Foundation's playlist, click here.