Pilot Study of a Mind-Body Resilience Program for Cardiac Arrest Survivors and Their Caregivers Recovering Together After Cardiac Arrest Testing Feasibility and Benefits

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating two resilience-building programs for adults who have survived cardiac arrest and their informal caregivers. The goal is to test the feasibility and acceptability of these programs to better support emotional recovery and reduce distress after cardiac arrest. This study is a pilot randomized controlled trial conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital targeting both survivors and their primary caregivers. The study compares two groups Recovering Together after Cardiac Arrest 1 RT-CA 1 and Recovering Together after Cardiac Arrest 2 RT-CA 2. RT-CA 1 involves six weekly 30-minute sessions that start at the hospital bedside and continue via Zoom after discharge, focusing on teaching mindfulness and coping skills. RT-CA 2 consists of one 30-minute session at the bedside reviewing psychosocial resources and represents minimally enhanced usual care. Participants, enrolled as survivor-caregiver pairs, will complete surveys measuring emotional distress and resilience at the start, after six weeks of treatment, and three months later. Researchers will monitor recruitment, randomization, adherence, therapist fidelity, treatment satisfaction, and study safety throughout the study. The total study duration includes treatment and follow-up assessments up to three months post-treatment.

Mind-body Resilience Program for Cardiac Arrest Survivors and Their Caregivers: Recovering Together After Cardiac Arrest