{"id":99298,"date":"2019-07-02T14:09:04","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T00:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=99298"},"modified":"2020-03-13T15:00:30","modified_gmt":"2020-03-14T01:00:30","slug":"professor-and-lifesaving-innovator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/07\/02\/professor-and-lifesaving-innovator\/","title":{"rendered":"Award winning UH<\/abbr> professor and lifesaving innovator gets funky"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"inaba
Inaba performing his CPR<\/abbr>-to-music at the Gold Heart event in Dallas. (Photo credit: American Heart Association)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa<\/a> clinical professor and Kapʻiolani<\/span> Medical Center for Women and Children pediatric emergency specialist Alson Inaba<\/strong> has been presented the first Innovation at Heart award by the American Heart Association<\/a> (AHA<\/abbr>) at the organization\u2019s national Gold Heart event in Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n

Inaba, who figured out that the Bee Gees disco classic “Stayin\u2019 Alive” has the ideal beat to do CPR<\/abbr> correctly, began using the song in 2005 when teaching UH<\/abbr> John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a> medical students how to properly perform CPR<\/abbr>. A performer himself since his youth as a magician in the islands, Inaba teamed up with AHA<\/abbr> to appear on national television news programs and public gatherings to help promote “Stayin\u2019 Alive” and “Hands-Only CPR<\/abbr>” as a powerful tool to keep hearts pumping.<\/p>\n

Describing his innovative teaching to the AHA<\/abbr>, Inaba said, “Anyone can do a lecture, I do presentations instead. It\u2019s how you present the information that can make all the difference.”<\/p>\n

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  • Related UH<\/abbr> News<\/em> stories\n
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    • Inaba is keeping the beat for hands-only CPR<\/abbr><\/a>, May 24, 2015<\/li>\n
    • Medical professor promoting Stayin\u2019 Alive CPR<\/abbr><\/a>, June 6, 2012<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \"Alson
      Alson Inaba (Photo credit: American Heart Association)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      Now Inaba is working on a new innovation. He is hoping to update his CPR<\/abbr>-set-to-music training tool to a more modern tune for a new generation of doctors and learners. His suggestion: Think Bruno Mars\u2019 “Uptown Funk.”<\/p>\n

      “One phrase that Bruno repeats over and over in his song is, ‘Don\u2019t believe me, just watch,’” Inaba said. “Imagine this scene: Two people see a colleague collapse from sudden cardiac arrest. The first person says to the second, ‘Did you know that if I do chest compressions to ‘Uptown Funk,’ I could save this person\u2019s life? Don\u2019t believe me? Just watch!’”<\/p>\n

      Through his advocacy work, Inaba has helped increase CPR<\/abbr> awareness and the number of automated external defibrillators throughout Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>, including at the state\u2019s airports. According to the AHA<\/abbr>, “Operation Stayin\u2019 Alive” has saved numerous lives since it was established more than a dozen years ago. Spreading the word, Inaba said, is what will truly make a difference.<\/p>\n

      “If we can get the rest of the country and the world to recognize the vital importance of immediate bystander CPR<\/abbr>, we could increase survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest,” Inaba said. But he deflects credit for his own life-saving musical ideas. “The real heroes are the ones who have the courage and the compassion to do CPR<\/abbr>, to make a difference and save a life.”<\/p>\n

      The American Heart Association <\/a>contributed to this story.<\/p>\n

      —By Tina Shelton<\/em><\/p>\n