Christmas article: CPR under the Christmas tree – can Christmas carols disturb the rhythm?

Introduction: Dancing around the Christmas tree combines physical activity with a full stomach and great emotions. This may lead to cardiac arrest. Previous studies have demonstrated that the rhythm in songs can support appropriate compression rates during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The aim of this study was to investigate whether healthcare professionals can maintain high-quality CPR in a Christmas setting when exposed to Christmas songs with varying tempos (beats per minute, BPM) as a deliberate auditory distraction. Methods: This study was conducted at Prehospital South - EMS in Odense, Denmark, in a room decorated to resemble a Christmas Eve setting. Participants performed randomized two-minute CPR sessions on a Little Anne QCPR manikin while exposed to three Christmas songs of varying tempos: “Silent Night” (65 BPM), “Last Christmas” (110 BPM), and a Danish Christmas song with a BPM of 150 BPM. CPR quality was measured. Results: Twenty-one participants completed the study. Compression depth was high across all three songs, with average scores ranging from 96% to 98%. Compression rate ranged between 108 and 110 BPM, with the highest proportion of time within the target range (100-120 BPM) observed during “Last Christmas” (79%) and the lowest during “Silent Night” (70%). Overall CPR scores were high (71-72%) with low variation. No statistically significant differences were found between the songs. Conclusion: Exposure to Christmas songs with varying tempos did not impact the quality of CPR among healthcare professionals, who maintained high-quality performance regardless of music choice. Funding: none. Trial registration: none.