Background: Cardiovascular disease is common among old people and many undergo cardiac surgery. Scientific\nknowledge is available on cardiac surgery from several perspectives. However, we found few studies focusing on\nolder patients� experiences of cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to illuminate experiences of undergoing\ncardiac surgery among older people diagnosed with postoperative delirium, a one year follow-up.\nMethods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 49 participants (aged ?70 years) diagnosed with delirium\nafter cardiac surgery. Data were collected in Sweden during 2010 through individual, semi-structured interviews in\nparticipants� homes one year after surgery. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.\nResults: Four themes with sub-themes were formulated: Feeling drained of viability includes having a body under\nattack, losing strength and being close to death. Feeling trapped in a weird world describes participants having\nhallucinations, being in a nightmare and being remorseful for their behavior. Being met with disrespect includes\nfeeling disappointed, being forced, and feeling like cargo. On the other hand, Feeling safe, including being in\nsupportive hands and feeling grateful, points to participants� experiences of good care and the gift of getting a\nsecond chance in life.\nConclusions: Even one year after cardiac surgery, participants described in detail feelings of extreme vulnerability\nand frailty. They also had felt completely in the hands of the health care professionals. Participants described\nexperiences of hallucinations and nightmares during hospitalization. Cardiac surgery was a unique, fearful, traumatic\nand unpleasant experience yet could also include pleasant or rewarding aspects. It seems that health care\nprofessionals need deeper knowledge on postoperative delirium in order to prevent, detect and treat delirium to\navoid and relieve the suffering these experiences might cause.
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