Abstracts

RATIONALE: EEG findings during the evolution of electrocerebral inactivity have been rarely reported. Even more infrequent is the recording of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during such examinations. The present report describes three patients in which CPR was performed during an EEG recording.
METHODS: The EEG database at the Mayo Clinic between 1989 and 2001 was reviewed and three patients were found.
RESULTS: Patient 1, a 63-year-old man, who underwent a left carotid endarterectomy with EEG monitoring, had a significant drop in blood pressure during the procedure associated with a progressive, generalized suppression of the EEG. CPR was initiated and associated with periodic sharply contoured waves occurring at a rate of approximately 1/second in association with the manual chest compression. Patient 2, a 23-year-old man, who presented with status epilepticus and developed subsequently cardiorespiratory failure associated with loss of cerebral activity. CPR was performed and the EEG showed periodic slow waves occurring at a rate of approximately one per second in association with manual chest compression. Patient 3, a 55-year-old woman, had a sudden cardiopulmonary arrest during the EEG secondary to pulmonary embolus. CPR was performed and was associated with movement artifact resembling periodic sharp waves in the EEG occurring at a rate of approximately 1/second.
CONCLUSIONS: The CPR artifact is fairly characteristic in that it usually consists of periodic waveforms occurring approximately one per second and reflecting the movement artifact associated with CPR efforts.