Close Family Members or Cosurvivors of Cardiac Arrest Patients Need Support

Columbia's NeuroCardiac Comprehensive Care Director, Sachin Agarwal, MD, MPH, led the study that evaluated psychological stress rates of close family members of cardiac survivors before their hospital discharge. “Cosurvivors experience psychological distress at an equal if not greater extent than cardiac arrest survivors due to the fear of the unknown, the lack of information, and the life changes that result from this traumatic event,” said Dr. Agarwal “[Clinicians] have to be compassionate, empathetic, and provide as much information as possible to reduce family members’ uncertainty in the first weeks after cardiac arrest.”

Dr. Agarwal and his colleagues integrated family care into their NeuroCardiac Comprehensive Care Clinic program that provides continuing care and support to families of cardiac patients. “They are patients, too, and they need to be treated as cosurvivors. Understanding the journey, from being a close family member to then a caregiver and later a cosurvivor, is essential to create the most efficient system of recovery,” said Dr. Agarwal.

Together with clinical nurse Matthew Douma and cosurvior Kristin Flanary, Dr. Agarwal cofound Heartsight. It's a free, multilingual, easy-to-use, evidence and science-based online resource created by the multidisciplinary Heartsigth team that provides information and support to survivors and cosurvivors of cardiac arrests. Dr. Agarwal and his colleagues at Columbia are continuing to research the impact on family members post-cardiac arrests. [read more]

Source: Circulation