For Loved Ones of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivors

Please note that this page is being developed. We welcome feedback from loved ones regarding what you’d like to see here.

Send us an e-mail resources@thealiverfoundation.org with any information or resources you have found helpful.

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Signup to join our free monthly support groups.

We understand. Cardiac arrest is traumatic and being a loved one of a survivor is hard. You’re trying to support them while dealing with everything you’re experiencing. Your lives have changed, and it’s going to take time to settle into a “new normal.”

While in the hospital, we suggest asking your loved one’s medical team any and all questions you might have. While Google can be a great tool for a lot of searches, it can be daunting and send people down rabbit holes that can cause greater stress, anxiety, and fear. Every cardiac arrest patient is different.

I Care About A Survivor is a must read by Sudden Cardiac Arrest UK that outlines what to expect, resuscitation response, early stages, in-hospital recovery, in-hospital investigations, going home, self help, professional support, recovery challenges, and coping. You can also download their comprehensive guide:          “I CARE: So, your loved one has had a cardiac arrest.”

I Am A Co-Survivor is a comprehensive piece by Heartsight that provides structured resources based on clinical research such as What happened to my loved one? What happens in the hospital? How do I prepare for hospital discharge? What happens when my loved one goes home? What about my own recovery?

Science Direct - Journal of Emergency Nursing Volume 49, Issue 6 published a research study, “What Are the Care Needs of Families Experiencing Sudden Cardiac Arrest? A Survivor- and Family-Performed Systematic Review, Qualitative Meta-Synthesis, and Clinical Practice Recommendations,” with the following discussion:

”The family experience of cardiac arrest care is often chaotic, distressing, complex and the aftereffects are long-lasting. Patient and family experiences could be improved for many people. High certainty family care needs identified in this review include rapid recognition and response, improved information sharing, more effective communication, supported presence and participation, or supported absence, and psychological aftercare.”

The University of Alberta published “Families of cardiac arrest patients need care too” as this research study won “Article of the Year” by the Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Science Direct - Resuscitation Volume 168 published a research study, “What are the care needs of families experiencing cardiac arrest?: A survivor and family led scoping review”. Its aim:

”The sudden and unexpected cardiac arrest of a family member can be a grief-filled and life-altering event. Every year many hundreds of thousands of families experience the cardiac arrest of a family member. However, care of the family during the cardiac arrest and afteris poorly understood and incompletely described. This review has been performed with persons with lived experience of cardiac arrest to describe, ‘What are the needs of families experiencing cardiac arrest?’ from the moment of collapse until the outcome is known.”

A research study published in the National Library of Medicine, “Family experiences and health outcomes following a loved ones’ hospital discharge or death after cardiac arrest: A scoping review” concluded:

”Family members develop significant emotional burdens and physical symptoms as they deal with their loved ones’ critical illnesses and uncertain, unpredictable recovery. Interventions designed to reduce family members' psychological distress and uncertainty prevalent throughout the illness trajectory of their loved ones admitted with cardiac arrest are needed.”

The Journal of Emergency Nursing Volume 47, Issue 5 published a research study, "The Needs of Families During Cardiac Arrest Care: A Survivor- and Family-led Scoping Review Protocol,” Its introduction:

”Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death. Family members often witness the event and attempt resuscitation. The physiological and psychological impact of a loved one's death, witnessed or unwitnessed, can be significant and long-lasting. However, little is known about the care needs of families during the cardiac arrest care of a loved one. This scoping review protocol was designed with, and will be performed in partnership with, persons with lived experience of sudden cardiac arrest (survivors and family members of survivors and nonsurvivors alike).”

If you’re a loved one of a cardiac arrest survivor, there’s a group on Facebook called Loved Ones of Survivors - SCA & Heart Attack that many have found extremely beneficial.