[The follow up of patients and their relatives after cardiac arrest varies greatly]

Abstract

The return to a good life after successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest may be hindered by cardiovascular morbidity, psychological distress and the consequences of anoxic brain injury. To support the return to everyday life, patients and their relatives are in need of health care follow-up with multiple focuses. Usually, this follow-up consists of at least one of three parallel tracks; cardiology for interventions and secondary prevention, post intensive care follow-up to capture and prevent consequences of the traumatic event and the ICU stay, or neurological follow-up for patients with neurological sequels. None of these tracks include all patients. In addition, survivors are usually included and followed with patient related outcome measures (PROM) through the multiple Swedish national quality registers. The different clinical follow-up systems and the registers are not coordinated and assessments and questions may be repeated multiple times. A more integrated follow-up model has the potential to benefit the patient and their relatives and to reduce costs.