Background Myocardial infarction (MI) and cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death in the western world today. Despite this fact more people can now survive due to better treatment and medication. But surviving this kind of life-threatening disease leads to strong emotions. Therefore it's important to explore the experiences of the survivors and the complexity of these experiences and also how multi-facetted the coping mechanisms can be for different people. 

Aim The aim of this study was to illuminate the experiences of life in myocardial infarction patients. Method This is a literature based study using qualitative research. The study has a hermeneutic perspective to gain knowledge and understanding towards the experiences of MI patients. Result Four main themes were formed in the result, A new positive way of looking at life, Security, Uncertainty and A feeling of hopelessness. These themes manifested the complexity of all the factors that influence the experiences of life after MI. The themes form two groups, two themes that describe the positive experiences and two themes that describe the negative.

Conclusion To have knowledge about these factors such as environment and support including how this might influence the patient's life is important in the nurse occupation.