Evaluation of brain death using somatosensory evoked potentials
De la Torre, J.C.
Biological Psychiatry 16(10): 931-935
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0006-3223 PMID: 7306615 Document Number: 171471
Twenty-two patients were tested for somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP). All patients had been previously diagnosed as comatose following various types of cerebral insults. SEP was performed to determine if a prognosis of brain death could be made prior to cerebral blood flow arrest or EEG silence. It was found that five patients having eight SEP peak-to-peak latencies contained within 300-msec analysis time eventually awakened from their comatose state. Seventeen patients went from coma to brain death and eventually expired; these patients had fewer than eight peak-to-peak latencies within 500-msec analysis time as well as gross frequency delays and absence of left and right hemispheric symmetry of peaks. A group of 85 normal volunteers were used to establish SEP control base lines. It is concluded that SEP analysis may be a useful adjunct that appears to precede present criteria for brain death and could provide important information on whether potential recovery of a comatose patient may be expected.