Background: Cardiac arrest is a major health problem worldwide. For many of the afflicted, cardiac arrest is the natural end of life. For others, it is an unexpected event suddenly striking in the middle of life. During the last decades, major efforts in treatment have contributed to more people surviving their cardiac arrest. However, previous research has mainly focused on survival, while the knowledge about health-related quality of life in survivors is sparse. Hence, there is a need for more research in order to extend the knowledge about the living situations among survivors and their spouses. For example, factors associated with health-related quality of life are not sufficiently investigated. Knowledge about such factors is important in order to develop interventions and to be able to improve post cardiac arrest care. In addition, existing research shows incongruent results concerning differences in characteristics and survival between men and women. In order to provide equitable care between sexes, further studies are warranted.

Aim: The overall aim of this thesis was to increase the knowledge of survival and health-related quality of life among people suffering cardiac arrest with focus on sex and other related factors. The specific aims were: to describe in-hospital cardiac arrest events with regard to sex and investigate if sex is associated with survival after controlling for known predictors and interaction effects (study I), to describe health status and psychological distress among in-hospital cardiac arrest survivors in relation to sex (study II), to investigate factors associated with health-related quality of life among cardiac arrest survivors treated with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator in relation to sex, and to compare their health-related quality of life with a general population, (study III) and to investigate if type D personality and perceived control among cardiac arrest survivors and their spouses were associated with their own and their partners’ health-related quality of life (study IV).

Methods: The general design in all studies (I-IV) was quantitative, cross-sectional and correlational. This thesis is based on four different data collections. Data was systematically collected using national quality registries (I and II) or by sending questionnaires to survivors (III and IV) and their spouses (IV), treated at several different hospitals in Sweden. The sample size varied between 126 and 990 across the studies. The outcomes and explanatory study variables were chosen with respect to Wilson and Cleary’s conceptual model of health-related quality of life. The main outcome variables were survival after resuscitation, survival at hospital discharge, survival at 30 days post cardiac arrest (I), and health-related quality of life measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (II and III) and the EuroQol-5 dimensions (II-IV). In this thesis descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. The main statistics consisted of logistic and linear regression analyses, and structural equation modelling.

Results: Male sex was associated with a better chance of survival to hospital discharge, but no associations between sex and survival after resuscitation or at 30 days were identified. More men than women received resuscitation attempts when suffering an in-hospital cardiac arrest (study I). Health-related quality of life among most cardiac arrest survivors was good (II-IV), even when compared to a general population (III). However, a significant proportion reported low health status and symptoms of anxiety and depression (II and III). Women reported worse health-related quality of life compared to men, and female sex was associated with poorer health-related quality of life in the multiple regression models (II and III). Several additional factors were identified to be associated with poorer health-related quality of life: being unemployed, having a type D personality, perceiving less control, suffering from more comorbidities and suffering from more ICD-related concerns (III). In addition, older age was associated with poorer (EQ VAS) or better (HADS Anxiety) health-related quality of life, depending of outcome measure (II). Moreover, perceived control and type D personality among the survivors were associated with health-related quality of life among their spouses, but not vice versa.

Conclusions: Although, sex does not appear to be an important predictor for survival, the difference between men and women regarding the proportion of resuscitation attempts should be further investigated. The majority of survivors and their spouses report good health-related quality of life similar to general populations. However, a substantial proportion suffer from health problems. Since women in general report worse health-related quality of life compared to men a higher proportion of women may be in need of support. Several factors associated with worse health-related quality of life were identified and might be used during follow-up and rehabilitation. For example, identifying type D personality might be important when screening patients at risk for health problems. Perceiving more control could be targeted by health-supportive interventions, for example person-centered care. Healthcare professionals should make efforts to identify survivors at risk of poor health-related quality of life and offer individualized support when needed. Characteristics among survivors were associated with health-related quality of life in their spouses. Including spouses in follow-up care is therefore important. Wilson and Cleary’s conceptual model for health-related quality of life appears to be applicable for choosing outcomes in cardiac arrest research and might be helpful when designing interventions to improve post cardiac arrest care.

Kognitiva och emotionella svårigheter är vanliga hos personer som överlevt ett hjärtstopp. 

Rutinerna för uppföljning efter hjärtstopp varierar stort mellan olika regioner och sjukhus i Sverige.

För att förbättra vården har Svenska HLR-rådets arbetsgrupp för vård efter hjärtstopp tagit fram svenska riktlinjer för uppföljning efter hjärtstopp. 

According to previous research, a structured cardiac arrest follow-up may contribute to identifying health problems and the potential need of support among survivors and their relatives. However, a survey on post CA care and follow-up in Sweden, reported a lack of structure and major variations among Swedish hospitals. In 2016, Swedish guidelines were published with the aim to improve care. According to guidelines, all patients and their relatives should be offered a follow-up visit within 1-3 months after hospital discharge, including screening for cognitive and emotional problems and provision of information. More information is available at https://www.hlr.nu/vard-efter-hjartstopp/

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate reasons for inadequate documentation of vital signs in an electronic health record.

BACKGROUND: Monitoring vital signs is crucial to detecting and responding to patient deterioration. The ways in which vital signs are documented in electronic health records have received limited attention in the research literature. A previous study revealed that vital signs in an electronic health record were incomplete and inconsistent.

DESIGN: Qualitative study.

METHODS: Qualitative study. Data were collected by observing (68 hr) and interviewing nurses (n = 11) and doctors (n = 3), and analysed by thematic analysis to examine processes for measuring, documenting and retrieving vital signs in four clinical settings in a 353-bed hospital.

RESULTS: We identified two central reasons for inadequate vital sign documentation. First, there was an absence of firm guidelines for observing patients' vital signs, resulting in inconsistencies in the ways vital signs were recorded. Second, there was a lack of adequate facilities in the electronic health record for recording vital signs. This led to poor presentation of vital signs in the electronic health record and to staff creating paper "workarounds."

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated inadequate routines and poor facilities for vital sign documentation in an electronic health record, and makes an important contribution to knowledge by identifying problems and barriers that may occur. Further, it has demonstrated the need for improved facilities for electronic documentation of vital signs.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Patient safety may have been compromised because of poor presentation of vital signs. Thus, our results emphasised the need for standardised routines for monitoring patients. In addition, designers should consult the clinical end-users to optimise facilities for electronic documentation of vital signs. This could have a positive impact on clinical practice and thus improve patient safety.

Aim: To investigate characteristics and outcome among patients suffering in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) with the emphasis on gender and age. Methods: Using the Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, we analyzed associations between gender, age and co-morbidities, etiology, management, 30-day survival and cerebral function among survivors in 14,933 cases of IHCA. Age was divided into three ordered categories: young (18-49 years), middle-aged (5064 years) and older (65 years and above). Comparisons between men and women were age adjusted. Results: The mean age was 72.7 years and women were significantly older than men. Renal dysfunction was the most prevalent co-morbidity. Myocardial infarction/ischemia was the most common condition preceding IHCA, with men having 27% higher odds of having MI as the underlying etiology. A shockable rhythm was found in 31.8% of patients, with men having 52% higher odds of being found in VT/VF. After adjusting for various confounders, it was found that men had a 10% lower chance than women of surviving to 30 days. Older individuals were managed less aggressively than younger patients. Increasing age was associated with lower 30-day survival but not with poorer cerebral function among survivors. Conclusion: When adjusting for various confounders, it was found that men had a 10% lower chance than women of surviving to 30 days after in-hospital cardiac arrest. Older individuals were managed less aggressively than younger patients, despite a lower chance of survival. Higher age was, however, not associated with poorer cerebral function among survivors. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aim: To describe health status and psychological distress among in -hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) survivors in relation to gender. Methods: This national register study consists of data from follow-up registration of IHCA survivors 3-6 months post cardiac arrest (CA) in Sweden. A questionnaire was sent to the survivors, including measurements of health status (EQ-5D-5L) and psychological distress (HADS). Results: Between 2013 and 2015, 594 IHCA survivors were included in the study. The median values for EQ-5D-5L index and EQVAS among survivors were 0.78 (ql-q3 = 0.67-0.86) and 70 (ql -q3 = 50-80) respectively. The values were significantly lower (p amp;lt; 0.001) in women compared to men. In addition, women reported more problems than men in all dimensions of EQ-5D-5L, except self -care. A majority of the respondents reported no problems with anxiety (85.4%) and/or symptoms of depression (87.0%). Women reported significantly more problems with anxiety (p amp;lt; 0.001) and symptoms of depression (p amp;lt; 0.001) compared to men. Gender was significantly associated with poorer health status and more psychological distress. No interaction effects for gender and age were found. Conclusions: Although the majority of survivors reported acceptable health status and no psychological distress, a substantial proportion reported severe problems. Women reported worse health status and more psychological distress compared to men. Therefore, a higher proportion of women may be in need of support. Health care professionals should make efforts to identify health problems among survivors and offer individualised support when needed. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Introduction: A high quality of chest compressions, e.g. sufficient depth (5-6 cm) and rate (100-120 per min), has been associated with survival. The patients underlay affects chest compression depth. Depth and rate can be assessed by feedback systems to guide rescuers during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Aim: The purpose of this study was to describe the quality of chest compressions by healthcare professionals using real-time audiovisual feedback during in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Method: An observational descriptive study was performed including 63 cardiac arrest events with a resuscitation attempt. Data files were recorded by Zoll AED Pro, and reviewed by RescueNet Code Review software. The events were analysed according to depth, rate, quality of chest compressions and underlay. Results: Across events, 12.7% (median) of the compressions had a depth of 5-6 cm. Compression depth of amp;gt;6 cm was measured in 70.1% (median). The underlay could be identified from the electronic patient records in 54 events. The median compression depth was 4.5 cm (floor) and 6.7 cm (mattress). Across events, 57.5% (median) of the compressions were performed with a median frequency of 100-120 compressions/min and the most common problem was a compression rate of amp;lt;100 (median=22.3%). Conclusions: Chest compression quality was poor according to the feedback system. However, the distribution of compression depth with regard to underlay points towards overestimation of depth when treating patients on a mattress. Audiovisual feedback devices ought to be further developed. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their devices.

Aim: The aim was to investigate the clinical performance of two different types of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Methods: Three investigators reviewed 2938 rhythm analyses performed by AEDs in 240 consecutive patients (median age 72, q1-q3 = 62-83) who had suffered cardiac arrest between January 2011 and March 2015. Two different AEDs were used (AED A n = 105, AED B n = 135) in-hospital (n = 91) and out-of-hospital (n = 149). Results: Among 194 shockable rhythms, 17 (8.8%) were not recognized by AED A, while AED B recognized 100% (n = 135) of shockable episodes (sensitivity 91.2 vs 100%, p amp;lt; 0.01). In AED A, 8 (47.1%) of these episodes were judged to be algorithm errors while 9 (52.9%) were caused by external artifacts. Among 1039 non-shockable rhythms, AED A recommended shock in 11 (1.0%), while AED B recommended shock in 63 (4.1%) of 1523 episodes (specificity 98.9 vs 95.9, p amp;lt; 0.001). In AED A, 2 (18.2%) of these episodes were judged to be algorithm errors (AED B, n = 40, 63.5%), while 9 (81.8%) were caused by external artifacts (AED B, n = 23, 36.5%). Conclusions: There were significant differences in sensitivity and specificity between the two different AEDs. A higher sensitivity of AED B was associated with a lower specificity while a higher specificity of AED A was associated with a lower sensitivity. AED manufacturers should work to improve the algorithms. In addition, AED use should always be reviewed with a routine for giving feedback, and medical personnel should be aware of the specific strengths and shortcomings of the device they are using. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.