Life After Death: Surviving Cardiac Arrest—an Overview of Epidemiology, Best Acute Care Practices, and Considerations for Rehabilitation Care

Abstract

The number of people surviving sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is increasing. Clinical and population-based sciences are improving lay chest compression rates and use of automated electronic defibrillators, which will continue to have an impact on future SCA victims, and subsequently, the number of survivors requiring acute and rehabilitation care. A large research and best clinical practice guideline gap remains, however. The continuum of care for rehabilitation and recovery after SCA is often fragmented and underdeveloped, particularly for those requiring specialized services due anoxic brain injury resulting from the SCA. While some elements of rehabilitation care are similar to that provided to other brain injury survivors (e.g., traumatic brain injury), the unique pathology associated with a global insult like anoxic brain injury may require modifications to standard therapies. The purpose of this review is to describe the clinical evidence and best practices for optimizing recovery after SCA. It will further introduce experiential and research-derived concepts for neurorehabilitation care for the subpopulation of SCA survivors with concurrent anoxic brain injury.