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Amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) predicts outcome after cardiac arrest and induced hypothermia.

Rundgren, Malin LU ; Rosén, Ingmar LU and Friberg, Hans LU (2006) In Intensive Care Medicine 32(6). p.836-842
Abstract
Objective To evaluate the use of continuous amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) as a prognostic tool for survival and neurological outcome in cardiac arrest patients treated with hypothermia.

Design Prospective, observational study.

Setting Multidisciplinary intensive care unit in a university hospital.

Intervention Comatose survivors of cardiac arrest were treated with induced hypothermia for 24 h. An aEEG recording was initiated upon arrival at the ICU and continued until the patient regained consciousness or, if the patient remained in coma, no longer than 120 h. The aEEG recording was not available to the ICU physician, and the aEEG tracings were interpreted by a neurophysiologist with no knowledge of the... (More)
Objective To evaluate the use of continuous amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) as a prognostic tool for survival and neurological outcome in cardiac arrest patients treated with hypothermia.

Design Prospective, observational study.

Setting Multidisciplinary intensive care unit in a university hospital.

Intervention Comatose survivors of cardiac arrest were treated with induced hypothermia for 24 h. An aEEG recording was initiated upon arrival at the ICU and continued until the patient regained consciousness or, if the patient remained in coma, no longer than 120 h. The aEEG recording was not available to the ICU physician, and the aEEG tracings were interpreted by a neurophysiologist with no knowledge of the patient's clinical status. Only clinically visible seizures were treated.

Measurements and results Thirty-four consecutive hypothermia-treated cardiac arrest survivors were included. At normothermia (mean 37 h after cardiac arrest), the aEEG pattern was discriminative for outcome. All 20 patients with a continuous aEEG at this time regained consciousness, whereas 14 patients with pathological aEEG patterns (flat, suppression-burst or status epilepticus) did not regain consciousness and died in hospital. Patients were evaluated neurologically upon discharge from the ICU and after 6 months, using the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scale. Eighteen patients were alive with a good cerebral outcome (CPC 1--2) at 6-month follow-up.

Conclusion A continuous aEEG pattern at the time of normothermia was discriminative for regaining consciousness. aEEG is an easily applied method in the ICU setting. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Cardiac arrest - Coma - Hypothermia - aEEG - Outcome
in
Intensive Care Medicine
volume
32
issue
6
pages
836 - 842
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000237670900005
  • scopus:33646855590
  • pmid:16715325
ISSN
0342-4642
DOI
10.1007/s00134-006-0178-6
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
95a0a307-0b7a-4dc1-8e5c-fce7618856f5 (old id 157128)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:01:21
date last changed
2022-01-26 21:39:38
@article{95a0a307-0b7a-4dc1-8e5c-fce7618856f5,
  abstract     = {{Objective To evaluate the use of continuous amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) as a prognostic tool for survival and neurological outcome in cardiac arrest patients treated with hypothermia.<br/><br>
Design Prospective, observational study.<br/><br>
Setting Multidisciplinary intensive care unit in a university hospital.<br/><br>
Intervention Comatose survivors of cardiac arrest were treated with induced hypothermia for 24 h. An aEEG recording was initiated upon arrival at the ICU and continued until the patient regained consciousness or, if the patient remained in coma, no longer than 120 h. The aEEG recording was not available to the ICU physician, and the aEEG tracings were interpreted by a neurophysiologist with no knowledge of the patient's clinical status. Only clinically visible seizures were treated. <br/><br>
Measurements and results Thirty-four consecutive hypothermia-treated cardiac arrest survivors were included. At normothermia (mean 37 h after cardiac arrest), the aEEG pattern was discriminative for outcome. All 20 patients with a continuous aEEG at this time regained consciousness, whereas 14 patients with pathological aEEG patterns (flat, suppression-burst or status epilepticus) did not regain consciousness and died in hospital. Patients were evaluated neurologically upon discharge from the ICU and after 6 months, using the Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) scale. Eighteen patients were alive with a good cerebral outcome (CPC 1--2) at 6-month follow-up. <br/><br>
Conclusion A continuous aEEG pattern at the time of normothermia was discriminative for regaining consciousness. aEEG is an easily applied method in the ICU setting.}},
  author       = {{Rundgren, Malin and Rosén, Ingmar and Friberg, Hans}},
  issn         = {{0342-4642}},
  keywords     = {{Cardiac arrest - Coma - Hypothermia - aEEG - Outcome}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{836--842}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Intensive Care Medicine}},
  title        = {{Amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) predicts outcome after cardiac arrest and induced hypothermia.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00134-006-0178-6}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00134-006-0178-6}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{2006}},
}