Background: Every six hours, a person is saved through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in Sweden. According to global guidelines, relatives should be offered the opportunity to be present during the life-saving intervention, despite this, previous research has shown that healthcare professionals often exclude relatives in these contexts. The reason is largely due to a lack of expertise in the area. Therefore, increased knowledge is needed from the perspective of relatives, to achieve understanding and transform prevailing norms. Aim: The aim was to describe the scientific evidence regarding the experiences of family members being present during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Method: Descriptive literature study in which eleven scientific articles were included with a qualitative and quantitative approach. The articles were found through the scientific database PubMed. Key findings: The first main theme that emerged was “mental stress during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)”, the second main theme was determined as “the importance of communication”. The results showed that relatives have different experiences of being present during CPR. Conclusion: In the present literature study, the experiences of family members attending cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were influenced by multiple factors, thus no consensus was reached. A recurring theme was that healthcare professionals often excluded family members despite their strong desire to be present. However, the findings also indicated negative psychological consequences following their presence. The experience of attending CPR was improved when healthcare professionals adopted a systematic approach with family-centered care. By addressing the care needs of family members, their experience of being present during CPR can be improved.