Unexpected myogenic contaminants observed in the somatosensory evoked potentials recorded in one brain-dead patient

Abstract

Visual, brain-stem auditory and somatosensory evoked potentials (EPs) have been recorded in a 53-year-old woman who fulfilled all criteria of brain death. We observed the persistance of 48 msec latency somatosensory activities. Their muscular, and not neural, origin was, however, suggested by their disappearance after curarization. The practical consequences of this observation are two-fold. On the one hand, more precautions must be taken before reaching the conclusion that central neural activities can be obtained in coma dépassé patients. On the other, it suggests a possible test to enhance the sensitivity of EPs in diagnosing brain death.