Resuming Work After a Cardiac Arrest is Challenging

Cardiac Arrest Can Result in Death within Minutes without Immediate Intervention

You seem to be at the peak of career, enjoy the best times of life with family and can’t ask for more in life when your heart suddenly stops working. Someone performs a CPR and your heart is revived with an automated external defibrillator without which death was most likely. Post the treatment the physician works hard to ensure that his/her patient lives as normal a life as possible, but a study shows that returning to normal day-to-day living might not be as easier as thought, especially when the cardiac arrest is coupled with a brain injury.
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The study compared two groups of patients. The first group consisted of 250 patients and they were assessed on their performance six months after their cardiac arrest. They were compared to the other group consisting of 119 patients who suffered from a heart attack six months back. Both groups were asked to fill a questionnaire asking about their social life and work experience before and after the condition. Cognitive and emotional problems were also evaluated.

Results showed that:

• Not even 50% cardiac arrest survivors returned to their previous level of work compared to nearly 72% heart attack survivors.
• Nearly half of the cardiac arrest survivors reported restrictions participation in everyday activities including social interaction and recreational activities. Whereas only 30% heart attack survivors reported restricted participation.
• Participants who suffered from cognitive impairments were three times likelier to extend their leaves by another six months compared to cardiac arrest patients without any impairment
  
  

While individuals might hesitate to pursue full-fledged social activities immediately, problems with memory, movement, fatigue and depression were also reasons for decreased social participation and pursuance of leisure activities.

After Resuming Work?
We see a huge number of heart attack patients resuming work quicker than cardiac arrest patients but sadly one in four people quit their job within a year of returning to work. Even more shocking is the fact that those who quit are between the 30-39 and 60-65 age group and are of a lower educational and income level comparatively. The statistics are alarming as young people who are yet to accomplish greater feats in life are quitting jobs suddenly. This affect’s their quality of life, ability to live independently and lowers self-esteem. A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association showed that of the 22,394 heart attack survivors who were working before a heart attack almost 91% returned to work within a year after the attack. But a year after resuming almost 24% of them quit their jobs suddenly. This brings us to an important point-rehabilitation after the heart attack should not only focus on enabling the person to return to work as soon as possible but also maintain their ability to work in the long term after returning to work.

The Sooner You Resume Work, the Better it is for You
Rest and rehabilitation after a heart attack is recommended but never prolong them unless required. For those who experience depression anti-depressants or therapies might help. Eating a healthy, nutritious meal and living an active lifestyle can prevent your heart from suffering from further damage. Get yourself evaluated and find the right diet suiting your body requirements by visiting the website www.firsteatright.com. Fatigue and anxiety issues can also be solved by working with a therapist. Correcting any of these issues is necessary before resuming work. Only then will it help you continue work for a long term. Missing your routine can bring about an anxiety depression and returning to work would boost your confidence and help you overcome psychological hurdles. It also helps you avoid economic hurdles and improves your overall well-being.