A second chance at life: people's lived experiences of surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
BACKGROUND
There is more to illuminate about people's experiences of surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and how such an event affects people's lives over time.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to elucidate meanings of people's lived experiences and changes in everyday life during their first year after surviving OHCA.


METHODS
A qualitative, longitudinal design was used. Eleven people surviving OHCA from northern Sweden agreed to participate and were interviewed 6 and 12 months after the event. A phenomenological hermeneutic interpretation was used to analyse the transcribed texts.


RESULTS
The structural analysis resulted in two themes: (i) striving to regain one's usual self and (ii) a second chance at life, and subthemes (ia) testing the body, (ib) pursuing the ordinary life, (ic) gratitude for help to survival, (iia) regaining a sense of security with one's body, (iib) getting to know a new self, and (iic) seeking meaning and establishing a future.


CONCLUSIONS
To conclude, we suggest that people experienced meanings of surviving OHCA over time as striving to regain their usual self and getting a second chance at life. The event affected them in many ways and resulted in a lot of emotions and many things to think about. Participants experienced back-and-forth emotions, when comparing their present lives to both their lives before cardiac arrest and those lives they planned for the future. During their first year, participants' daily lives were still influenced by 'being dead' and returning to life. As time passed, they wanted to resume their ordinary lives and hoped for continued lives filled with meaning and joyous activities.
The Northern Sweden MONICA Myocardial Registry, Department of Research, Norrbotten County Council, Luleå, Sweden.
Ann-Sofie
AS
Forslund
Skellefteå Research Unit, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Jan-Håkan
JH
Jansson
Sunderby Research Unit, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Dan
D
Lundblad
Department of Nursing Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Östersund, Sweden.
Siv
S
Söderberg
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D013548:Sweden
life experiences; myocardial infarction; out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; qualitative research; survival