Early Electroencephalographic Background Features Predict Outcomes in Children Resuscitated From Cardiac Arrest.
To determine 1) whether early electroencephalographic background features were associated with survival and neurologic outcomes among children resuscitated from cardiac arrest and not treated with therapeutic hypothermia and 2) if addition of electroencephalographic background to commonly used clinical criteria is more predictive of outcome than clinical criteria alone.



Retrospective study.



PICU and Cardiac ICUs of a tertiary children's hospital.



Patients resuscitated from in-hospital or out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who underwent clinically indicated electroencephalographic monitoring and were not treated with therapeutic hypothermia.



None.



One-hundred twenty-eight patients underwent electroencephalographic monitoring within 1 day of return of spontaneous circulation. Background category was normal in four subjects (3%), slow-disorganized in 58 subjects (45%), discontinuous-burst suppression in 24 subjects (19%) and attenuated-flat in 42 subjects (33%). Forty-six subjects (36%) had a reactive electroencephalography. Twenty subjects (15%) had a seizure during electroencephalographic monitoring. Absence of reactivity (p < 0.001) and seizures (p = 0.04) were associated with worse electroencephalographic background category. After controlling for covariates, for each incrementally worse background score, the odds of death was 3.63 (95% CI, 2.18-6.0; p < 0.001) and the odds of unfavorable neurologic outcome was 4.38 (95% CI, 2.51-7.17; p = 0.001).



Worse electroencephalographic background early after resuscitation from both in-hospital and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is associated with increased odds of death and unfavorable neurologic outcomes at hospital discharge. These electroencephalographic background patterns may be used in addition to clinical criteria to support prognostic decision making.
1Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, The University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. 2Department of Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. 3Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. 4Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, The University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA.
Alexis A
AA
Topjian
Sarah M
SM
Sánchez
Justine
J
Shults
Robert A
RA
Berg
Dennis J
DJ
Dlugos
Nicholas S
NS
Abend
D000293:Adolescent; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology