Amplitude-Integrated Electroencephalography and Brain Oxygenation for Postcardiac Arrest Patients with Targeted Temperature Management

Brain injury is the most common cause of death postcardiac arrest. Amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) is suggested to be useful in the prognostication in cases of postcardiac arrest brain injury. However, combined monitoring with aEEG and regional oxygen saturation (rSO(2)) for postcardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) patients to improve accuracy has not been reported. The purpose of this prospective observational study is to assess the usefulness of aEEG and rSO(2) for PCAS patients with targeted temperature management (TTM) to predict neurological outcome and possibly identify the pathophysiology of postcardiac arrest brain injury. PCAS patients with TTM at 34°C were monitored by aEEG and rSO(2) immediately after admission to the intensive care unit and evaluated at the start of monitoring, and 24 and 48 hours after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Patients were divided into two groups according to electroencephalography (EEG) pattern: a continuous EEG (C) pattern group and a noncontinuous EEG (NC) pattern group. Patients with C pattern had a significantly more favorable neurologic outcome compared with patients with an NC pattern at each point in time. No significant difference in rSO(2) values was observed between the C pattern and the NC pattern at any time point. Variation coefficient at rSO(2) in the NC group was significantly greater than that in the C group from the start of the monitoring to 24 hours. aEEG is useful in predicting outcome for PCAS patients whereas rSO(2) is not.