Hypoxic encephalopathy after cardiac arrest is a common cause of coma requiring intensive care of survivors. Certain malignant electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns have been shown to correlate with poor prognosis. Neuron specific enolase (NSE) released after cardiac arrest is regarded as a severity indicator of postanoxic neuronal injury. We investigated the EEG findings in post-cardiac arrest patients and compared these findings with clinical parameters and NSE levels and outcome scales.
Material and methods: 40 Egyptian patients after resuscitation from cardiac arrest were subjected to Glascow coma scale (GCS), corneal reflex, pupillary reflex, EEG, NSE measurement, and Glasgow outcome scale (GOS).
Results: There was high statstically significant difference between good and bad outcome groups as regards corneal and pupillary reflexes on first day, GCS on first and third days, EEG patterns on first and seventh days and NSE levels on first and third days.
Conclusion: In post cardiopulmonary arrest patients, certain clinical parameters like corneal and pupillary reflexes in first day and GCS on first and third days post arrest are good predictors of outcome. Also malignant EEG patterns (burst suppression, unreactive background and low voltage background) and NSE levels post arrest are good predictors of bad outcome of post arrest with higher sensitivity and specificity of NSE levels than malignant EEG patterns to predict bad outcome.
