Electroencephalographic monitoring in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest

Abstract

Electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring is an important tool in the management of comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. The results serve to predict the neurological outcome, identify postanoxic status epilepticus, and assess the effectiveness of antiepileptic treatments. Continuous EEG monitoring might seem the most attractive option but is costly and requires the continuous availability of an expert to interpret the findings. Alvarez and colleagues compared repeated standard EEG to continuous EEG monitoring in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. They found close agreement between these two strategies. However, their results do not constitute evidence of similar performance. In comatose survivors of cardiac arrest, repeated standard EEG should be used only when continuous EEG monitoring is unavailable.