title: Resuscitation after severe hypoxia in a young child: temporary isoelectric EEG and loss of BAEP components.
abstract: EEG and multimodality evoked potentials are currently used to ascertain brain death. We have observed electrocerebral silence (ECS) and loss of wave IV and V in BAEP in a 28-month-old child, 2 h after resuscitation from severe hypoxia, followed by reappearance of EEG activity and of waves IV and V (latencies and amplitudes within normal range) 18 h later. Temporary loss of EEG activity has been observed occasionally, while rapid reoccurrence of BAEP waves IV and V was unexpected and in contrast to the common observation, that rostro-caudal loss of BAEP waves is irreversible. This observation suggests that temporary loss of BAEP waves IV and V may occur and that caution is necessary in the interpretation of BAEP recorded immediately after a resuscitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Children's Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Simma
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burger
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dumermuth
mesh_terms: D001926:Brain Death / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000628:therapy*; D012151:Resuscitation / Q000379:methods*