Search

Aim: Cardiac arrest (CA) survival has diverse psychosocial outcomes for both survivors and their close family, with little known regarding long-term adjustment and recovery experiences. We explored the psychological adjustment and experiential perspectives of survivors and families in the second year after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA)., Methods: A prospective, mixed-methods study of adult OHCA survivors in Victoria, Australia was conducted. Eighteen survivors and 12 family members completed semi-structured interviews 14-19 months post-arrest. Survivors' cognition, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms were measured using a battery of psychological assessments. A thematic content analysis approach was applied to qualitative interview data by two independent investigators, with data coded and categorised into themes and sub-themes., Results: Survivors' cognition, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress symptoms were not clinically elevated in the second year post-arrest. Subjective cognitive failures were associated with increased anxiety but not with mental state. Depression was significantly correlated with post-traumatic symptoms. Six primary themes emerged from survivors' recovery stories, focused on: awakening and realisation, barriers to adjustment, psychosocial difficulties, integration, protective factors and unmet needs. Family perspectives revealed four primary themes focused on trauma exposure, survivor adjustment problems, family impact, and areas for service improvement., Conclusion: Survivors and their family members describe complex recovery journeys characterised by a range of psychosocial adjustment challenges, which are not adequately captured by common psychological measures. Post-arrest care systems are perceived by survivors and their families as inadequate due to a lack of accurate information regarding post-arrest sequalae, limited follow-up and inconsistent access to allied health care., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Understanding regional variation in bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is important to improving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival. In this study we aimed to identify barriers to providing bystander CPR in regions with low rates of bystander CPR and where OHCA was recognised in the emergency call., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed emergency calls for adults in regions of low bystander CPR in the Australian state of Victoria. Included calls were those where OHCA was identified during the call but no bystander CPR was given. A thematic content analysis was independently conducted by two investigators., Results: Saturation of themes was reached after listening to 139 calls. Calls progressed to the point of compression instructions before EMS arrival in only 26 (18.7%) of cases. Three types of barriers were identified: procedural barriers (time lost due to language barriers and communication issues; telephone problems), CPR knowledge (skill deficits; perceived benefit) and personal factors (physical frailty or disability; patient position; emotional factors)., Conclusion: A range of factors are associated with barriers to delivering bystander CPR even in the presence of dispatcher instructions - some of which are modifiable. To overcome these barriers in high-risk regions, targeted public education needs to provide information about what occurs in an emergency call, how to recognise an OHCA and to improve CPR knowledge and skills., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim: Targeting basic life support (BLS) training to bystanders who are most likely to witness an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is an important public health intervention. We performed a systematic review examining the evidence of the effectiveness of providing BLS training to family members of high-risk cardiac patients., Methods: A search of Ovid MEDLINE, CINAL, EMBASE, Informit, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global was conducted. We included all studies training adult family members of high-risk cardiac patients regardless of methods used for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or BLS training. Two reviewers independently extracted data and evaluated the quality of evidence using GRADE (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation)., Results: We included 26 of the 1172 studies identified. The majority of studies were non-randomised controlled trials (n=18), of very low to moderate quality. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to indicate a benefit of this intervention for patients; largely because of low numbers of OHCA events and high loss to follow-up. However, the majority of trained individuals were able to competently perform BLS skills, reported a willingness to use these skills and experienced lower anxiety., Conclusion: Whilst there is no current evidence for improvement in patient outcomes from targeted BLS training for family members, this group are willing and capable to learn these skills. Future research may need to examine longer periods of follow-up using alternate methods (e.g. cardiac arrest registries), and examine the effectiveness of training in the modern era., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)