The living experience of surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and spiritual meaning making.
Maria Aristidou, Maria Karanikola, Elizabeth Kusi-Appiah and 5 others
PMID 37085952WHAT IT FOUND
Greek Cypriot out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors described survival as a divine gift reshaping body, time, fear, relationships and daily life.
Their accounts point to spiritual and psychosocial needs alongside physical, cognitive and emotional changes.
Key findings
01Survivors made sense of their cardiac arrest and survival as a divine gift and a second chance to live in a more conscious and meaningful way.
02Participants described elements resembling near-death experiences, including time collapsing, moving through a tunnel, flying toward light and positive emotions.
03Survivors reported fear of another cardiac arrest and family members becoming overprotective.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only eight survivors, and seven were men, so the themes may not represent women or other populations. All participants were Greek Cypriot and Christian Orthodox, so cultural and religious meaning may not transfer to other groups. The cardiac arrests had occurred 2 to 10 years before interviews, so recollection may have been affected by memory decay and later cultural narratives. The researchers used a philosophical method with ambiguity in how it is operationalised, and the interpretive team was homogeneous. The study did not test any intervention or measure clinical outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these themes as general evidence for all cardiac arrest survivors. The sample was eight people, seven were men, all were Greek Orthodox, and two did not recall near-death experiences.