Arch Intern Med
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. Consequences for family members of high-risk cardiac patients.
A prospective, controlled trial was conducted to document the psychological risks and benefits of teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques to family members of patients at high risk for a sudden death event. Clinical outcomes for the high-risk patients were also measured. Cardiac patients (n = 65) and their family members (n = 69) were randomized to one of three groups: CPR training, risk factor education, and control. ⋯ The patients in the CPR group, however, were more anxious at three months' follow-up than patients in either the educational or control groups. Patients in both CPR and risk factor education groups reported poorer adjustment to illness at six months' follow-up than did control patients. These results suggest that CPR training for family members may have an adverse psychological effect on high-risk cardiac patients.