Two-thirds of cardiac arrest survivors suffer from cognitive deficits, particularly memory, planning, problem-solving, and attention, two-thirds experience anxiety and depression, one-third develop post-traumatic stress symptoms. The family members of Sudden Cardiac Arrest survivors experience similar psycho-social disturbances leading to an overall reduction in quality of life.
A lack of systematic, patient-centred outcome assessments and reliable resources for understanding the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social needs, are difficult to find. The absence of a coordinated plan to assess (short-term) and reassess (long-term) survivorship hampers a genuinely patient and family-centred approach to care.
- The recently published American Heart Association Scientific Statement on Survivorship makes a direct call for attention to the quality of life and survivorship, acknowledging the complex emotional, physical, social, and economic challenges associated with life during and after cardiac arrest. This statement also signals the need to move from the language of survival to a discourse of recovery.
- A new, on-line networking resource, Heartsight, was created by people impacted by cardiac arrest to orient and empower anyone who has been affected by this life-altering event and connect the community to trusted resources, clinical research and lived experiences of others.
