Water on Fire: The Patients’ Lived Experience of Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND: The success of a coronary angioplasty in the treatment of myocardial infarction is affected by patients’ experiences. However, the experiences of the people with an emergency angioplasty have remained unknown. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to explore the patients’ experiences of an emergency angioplasty. METHOD: This study was performed using the qualitative research method and interpretive phenomenological approach. Nine patients under emergency angioplasty were selected using purposeful sampling. A total of 11 deep and semistructured interviews were performed with the patients. The data were analyzed using van Manen method. RESULTS: Five subthemes of “diagnosis shock,” “being in an emergency situation,” “trying to self-control,” “the need for reassuring care,” and “stability” formed the structure of the patients’ experiences under the main theme of “water on fire”. Water on fire was the participants’ main perception of the emergency angioplasty. Patient-centered interactions and meeting the care, supportive, and educational needs of the patients in the case of diagnosis shock lead to a pleasant experience of returning to life. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study may have implications for care of patients undergoing emergency cardiovascular interventions.