Selena’s ‘El Chico del Apartamento 512’ can be used to save a life

The American Heart Association (AHA) has announced that Selena Quintanilla’s “El Chico del Apartamento 512” can help save a life with hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

The song has a tempo of 102 beats per minute, which makes it a helpful tool for keeping a consistent rhythm during chest compressions, as it is a crucial part of CPR.

"El Chico del Apartamento 512," which translates to "The Boy from Apartment 512”, is a song on Quintanilla’s fourth studio album. The song describes a female protagonist who knocks on her love interest's apartment door and is heartbroken when his sister, who she initially mistakes for his girlfriend, answers it. 

The track posthumously peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Regional Mexican Digital Songs chart in 2011.

According to AHA, only about 40% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receive the immediate help that they need before professional help arrives. When a person has a cardiac arrest, survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby. 

If you are interested in creating a cardiac emergency response plan, click here.