Performing CPR at the rate of 107 chest compressions per minute and to a depth of 4.7cm is associated with greater odds of survival for patients with cardiac arrest, a study suggests.

The findings, published in JAMA Cardiology, are roughly in line with the well-known first aid tip of performing CPR to the tempo of the Bee Gees’ disco hit, Stayin’ Alive, which has 103 beats per minute.

They are also within the range of Australian and US advice for compression of adult patients at a rate of between 100 and 120 beats per minute.

In a bid to find the optimum rate within this range, US researchers conducted a secondary analysis of data from a clinical trial in which 3600 patients (mean age 68) with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were given CPR with an adjunctive device.