Acute cardiac care & resuscitation
Assessing both early and late EEG patterns improves prediction of outcome after cardiac arrest
Authors' conclusion
Searching for both early EEG predictors (e.g. identical burst-suppression) and late EEG predictors (e.g. heterogenous burst-suppression > 24 h) significantly improved sensitivity of poor outcome prediction without false positive survivors in this cohort.
Study context
- Population
- Consecutive comatose resuscitated patients after cardiac arrest53 % poor outcome
- Participants
- 191 participants
- Comparison
- Early EEG predictors vs late EEG predictors vs both for outcome prediction
- Primary endpoint
- Prediction of poor outcome (modified Rankin Scale 4-6)
- Follow-up
- Six months
Methodological detailsobservational substudy, blinded EEG assessment
- Observational substudy
- Blinded EEG assessment
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Poor outcome prediction
| Group | Maximal sensitivity (before 24 h) | Maximal sensitivity | Sensitivity (up to 36 h after cardiac arrest (CA)) | Specificity (all time-points) | Specificity (beyond 24 h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early EEG predictors | 30 %[CI 21-40] | Not reported in the abstract | Not reported in the abstract | 100 %[CI 96-100] | Not reported in the abstract |
| Late EEG predictors | Not reported in the abstract | 32 %[CI 21-43] | Not reported in the abstract | Not reported in the abstract | 100 %[CI 96-100] |
| Early and late EEG predictors | Not reported in the abstract | Not reported in the abstract | 49 %[CI 39-59] | Not reported in the abstract | Not reported in the abstract |
Maximal sensitivity (before 24 h)
Early EEG predictors30 %[CI 21-40]
Late EEG predictorsNot reported in the abstract
Early and late EEG predictorsNot reported in the abstract
Maximal sensitivity
Early EEG predictorsNot reported in the abstract
Late EEG predictors32 %[CI 21-43]
Early and late EEG predictorsNot reported in the abstract
Sensitivity (up to 36 h after cardiac arrest (CA))
Early EEG predictorsNot reported in the abstract
Late EEG predictorsNot reported in the abstract
Early and late EEG predictors49 %[CI 39-59]
Specificity (all time-points)
Early EEG predictors100 %[CI 96-100]
Late EEG predictorsNot reported in the abstract
Early and late EEG predictorsNot reported in the abstract
Specificity (beyond 24 h)
Early EEG predictorsNot reported in the abstract
Late EEG predictors100 %[CI 96-100]
Early and late EEG predictorsNot reported in the abstract
Further findings
Continuous background within 12 h predicting good outcome
- Sensitivity
- 61 %[CI 50-71]
- Specificity
- 87 %[CI 79-93]
Original publication
Assessing both early and late EEG patterns improves prediction of outcome after cardiac arrest. Resuscitation. Published 7 August 2025. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it