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Abstract
Background and Objectives Epileptiform activity and burst suppression are neurophysiology signatures reflective of severe brain injury after cardiac arrest. We aimed to delineate the evolution of coma neurophysiology feature ensembles associated with recovery from coma after cardiac arrest.
Methods Adults in acute coma after cardiac arrest were included in a retrospective database involving 7 hospitals. The combination of 3 quantitative EEG features (burst suppression ratio [BSup], spike frequency [SpF], and Shannon entropy [En]) was used to define 5 distinct neurophysiology states: epileptiform high entropy (EHE: SpF ≥4 per minute and En ≥5); epileptiform low entropy (ELE: SpF ≥4 per minute and <5 En); nonepileptiform high entropy (NEHE: SpF <4 per minute and ≥5 En); nonepileptiform low entropy (NELE: SpF <4 per minute and <5 En), and burst suppression (BSup ≥50% and SpF <4 per minute). State transitions were measured at consecutive 6-hour blocks between 6 and 84 hours after return of spontaneous circulation. Good neurologic outcome was defined as best cerebral performance category 1–2 at 3–6 months.
Results One thousand thirty-eight individuals were included (50,224 hours of EEG), and 373 (36%) had good outcome. Individuals with EHE state had a 29% rate of good outcome, while those with ELE had 11%. Transitions out of an EHE or BSup state to an NEHE state were associated with good outcome (45% and 20%, respectively). No individuals with ELE state lasting >15 hours had good recovery.
Discussion Transition to high entropy states is associated with an increased likelihood of good outcome despite preceding epileptiform or burst suppression states. High entropy may reflect mechanisms of resilience to hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
Glossary
- BSup=
- burst suppression ratio;
- CPC=
- cerebral performance category;
- EHE=
- epileptiform high entropy;
- ELE=
- epileptiform low entropy;
- En=
- Shannon entropy;
- NEHE=
- nonepileptiform high entropy;
- NELE=
- nonepileptiform low entropy;
- QEEG=
- quantitative EEG;
- ROSC=
- return of spontaneous circulation;
- SpF=
- spike frequency;
- TTM=
- targeted temperature management
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.
Submitted and externally peer reviewed. The handling editors were Deputy Editor Bradford Worrall, MD, MSc, FAAN and Assistant Editor Andrea Schneider, MD, PhD.
- Received October 11, 2022.
- Accepted in final form May 4, 2023.
- © 2023 American Academy of Neurology
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