Sudden cardiac death is an episode of sudden death from cardiac causes in previously healthy patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the life experiences of patients who were resuscitated successfully following a sudden cardiac death. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit the nine participants through the snowball technique. Unstructured interviews were carried out until data saturation was reached. The Giorgi method of analysis, which seeks to reduce the participant's experience to minimal thematic units, common thematic groups, and essential themes in order to describe it, was used. Four essential themes were found: "facing fear"; "the search for meaning"; "feeling death up close and personal"; and "loneliness and estrangement". Nurses must integrate the lifestyle changes of patients who survive a cardiac death in order to provide adequate care following hospital discharge. Patients should undertake follow-up programs in order to receive counseling from health professionals. As a result, the creation of interdisciplinary support groups and the implementation of follow-up programs after hospital discharge are fundamental. Survivors' experiences can inform the development of nursing programs and hospital follow-up services that address the survival of cardiac death.
© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.