Natural history of global and critical brain ischaemia Part II: EEG and neurological signs in patients remaining unconscious after cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Abstract Of 125 patients who had no detectable cortical activity (DCA) on the electroencephalograph (EEG) immediately upon resuscitation from circulatory arrest of primary cardiovascular aetiology, 88 remained unconscious; these patients had their EEG and neurological status serially investigated until they died. Immediately upon re-establishment of circulation all cerebral functions could be absent; the brain death (irreversible loss of functions) was then signified by the appearance of poikilothermia, diabetes insipidus and reflex extension of the upper limb. Most often, some cranial nerve reflexes were present; the EEG configurations and related neurological signs then appeared in a sequence which resembled orderly postischaemic recovery: A phase without DCA was at first characterized by an exclusive presence of cranial nerve reflexes and then by the appearance of decerebrate posturing this phase was followed by another phase of intermittent cortical activity (ICA) with decorticate and stereotypic motor responses and a phase of continuous cortical activity (CCA) accompanied by stereotypic reactivity. These phases were most often incomplete due to failure of recovery of some cranial nerve reflexes or were abnormal due to the appearance of intermittent spikes and sharp waves. Progressive recovery could stagnate at any step and the cerebral functions be lost abruptly or gradually in reverse order of recovery. The decay was invariably due to cardiovascular or pulmonary complications. Brain autopsy revealed extensive neuronal loss and intravital autolytic changes in patients who had fulfilled clinical criteria of brain death for more than 72 h, but the histopathology showed no relationship to other clinical findings during the postischaemic course.