Long-term quality of life of caregivers of cardiac arrest survivors and the impact of witnessing a cardiac event of a close relative

Background: The incidence of cardiac arrest is high, with a poor survival rate of 8-14%. Currently, only limited evidence is available about long-term consequences of cardiac arrest on quality of life of caregivers. Aims: First, to determine the level of daily functioning and quality of life in caregivers of cardiac arrest survivors two years after the cardiac arrest. Second, to study the long-term impact of witnessing the event of a cardiac arrest. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study including caregivers of cardiac arrest survivors. Participants received a questionnaire at home. Outcome variables were instrumental daily activities(FAI), emotional functioning (HADS), fatigue(FSS), caregiver strain(CSI), impact of event(IES), and quality of life(SF36). Results: 57 caregivers (89% female, age 56,9 +/- 12 years) participated. Two years after the cardiac arrest, quality of life of caregivers equals that of the general population, although almost 30% still scored high on the Impact of Events Scale. Mean IES-, FSS-, CSI and FAI-scores were increased as compared to the general population (P <0.001). Two years after the cardiac arrest, caregivers that witnessed the resuscitation (IES = 23.6 +/- 14.9) still experienced significantly more trauma related stress than caregivers that did not witness the resuscitation (11.9 +/- 12.5; p