title: EEG reactivity to pain in comatose patients: Importance of the stimulus type.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Electroencephalogram (EEG) background reactivity is a potentially interesting outcome predictor in comatose patients, especially after cardiac arrest, but recent studies report only fair interrater reliability. Furthermore, there are no definite guidelines for its testing. We therefore investigated the EEG effect of standardized noxious stimuli in comatose patients not reactive to auditory stimuli.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this prospective study we applied a protocol using three different painful stimuli (bilateral nipple pinching, pinprick at the nose base, finger-nail compression on each side), grouped in three distinct clusters with an alternated sequence, during EEG recordings in comatose patients. We only analyzed recordings showing any reactivity to pain. Fisher and χ2 tests were used as needed to assess contingency tables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 42 studies, 12 did not show any background reactivity, 2 presented SIRPIDs, and 2 had massive artefacts; we thus analyzed 26 EEGs recorded in 17 patients (4 women, 24%). Nipple pinching more frequently induced a change in EEG background activity (p<0.001), with a sensitivity of 97.4% for reactivity. Neither the order of the stimuli in the cluster (p=0.723), nor the cluster order (p=0.901) influenced the results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this pilot study, bilateral, synchronous nipple pinching seems to be the most efficient method to test nociceptive EEG reactivity in comatose patients. This approach may enhance interrater reliability, but deserves confirmation in larger cohorts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital and Faculty of Biology and Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Spyridoula
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsetsou
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital and Faculty of Biology and Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Novy
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital and Faculty of Biology and Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oddo
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital and Faculty of Biology and Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: andrea.rossetti@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: Andrea O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Rossetti
mesh_terms: D003128:Coma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: Background; Coma; Electroencephalogram; Nociception; Reactivity; Stimuli