A University of Newcastle professor is investigating the mental consequences of surviving cardiac arrest.
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Gunilla Haydon is also a registered nurse at Port Macquarie Base Hospital and became interested in the topic as she heard about people who had survived cardiac arrest.
“Surviving cardiac arrest is a major event as there are no predictable outcomes for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR),” she said.
“Often survivors’ physical and psychological abilities change and adaptation to the new reality is challenging.”
Ms Haydon said previous research of cardiac arrest has focused on the physiological side of survival by looking at how the body has recovered.
As part of her research Ms Haydon has spoken to 13 people aged between 50 and 91-years-old who have survived cardiac arrest and who are able to live independently.
Ten of the 13 people Ms Haydon has interviewed for her research are based in the Port Macquarie-Hastings region. One of the participants had a cardiac arrest in February. She has another person who went through cardiac arrest 15 years ago but can still remember the event vividly.
Most people have told Ms Haydon they believe there was a reason for their survival.
A lot of the people have become motivated and inspired to put themselves out in the community. They want to inform people of the benefits of having training in CPR because without it they wouldn’t be alive.
One research participant has written a book and created a game for children to help them learn CPR.
Ms Haydon said the people she has interviewed have all had very good outcomes after suffering cardiac arrest.
However a positive outcome is unfortunately not what everyone experiences. She said some people have ongoing anxiety, can suffer from depression and may suffer from post traumatic stress disorder years after the event takes place.
Ms Haydon said cardiac arrest can occur due to lifestyle factors and people not looking after their bodies as well as they should.
However two of the people who participated in her research were believed to be healthy and fit. Both were surfers and one suffered a cardiac arrest while training at surf life saving and the other while gardening.
Ms Haydon wants to talk to more people who have survived cardiac arrest. If you would like to tell your story call 6581 6357.
