Skip to main content

EEG basic definition

Definitions and Terms

  • ▪  Frequency: The measurement used to categorize several ranges of electrical activity found in the normal and abnormal brain:
    • —Delta: High-amplitude, low-frequency waves seen in sleep
    • —Theta: Low-frequency waves seen in younger children and meditation in adults—may be indicative of pathological activity, such as toxic encephalopathy
    • —Alpha: Higher frequency range seen in relaxation and certain forms of coma
    • —Beta: High frequencies seen during active thinking
  • ▪  Epileptiform discharges: Rhythmic discharges seen focally or diffusely in patients with epilepsy.
  • ▪  Diffuse slowing: Combination of delta and theta frequencies seen in many pathological states—when seen with preserved reactivity to external stimuli (ie, pain, sound); this pattern may have a better prognosis than when responsiveness is absent.
  • ▪  Intermittent rhythmic delta activity: Pathological pattern that can be seen with metabolic, toxic, hypoxic, or other diffuse intracranial diseases.
  • ▪  Burst suppression: High-voltage bursts of activity alternating with background suppression—seen in deep coma and pharmacologically induced coma.
  • ▪  Bispectral index (BIS): A limited form of EEG analysis in which brain electrical activity is indexed to a dimensionless number between 0 and 100, wherein a value of 0 represents the absence of EEG activity and 100 is typical for an awake person—values between 40 and 60 are found in well-anesthetized patients.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The pressure volume loop...

In the pressure-volume loop below, cardiac work is best represented by:   the area of the curve  the slope of the line from points C to D  the distance of the line from points C to D  the slope of a line from points A to D .. .. ... .... ... .... .... .... In the pressure-volume loop below, cardiac work is best represented by:  the area of the curve Cardiac work is the product of pressure and volume and is linearly related to myocardial oxygen consumption. Cardiac work is best represented by the area of the curve of a pressure-volume loop.

Driving Pressure in ARDS: A new concept!

Driving Pressure and Survival in the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Marcelo B.P. Amato, M.D., Maureen O. Meade, M.D., Arthur S. Slutsky, M.D., Laurent Brochard, M.D., Eduardo L.V. Costa, M.D., David A. Schoenfeld, Ph.D., Thomas E. Stewart, M.D., Matthias Briel, M.D., Daniel Talmor, M.D., M.P.H., Alain Mercat, M.D., Jean-Christophe M. Richard, M.D., Carlos R.R. Carvalho, M.D., and Roy G. Brower, M.D. N Engl J Med 2015; 372:747-755 February 19, 2015 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsa1410639 BACKGROUND Mechanical-ventilation strategies that use lower end-inspiratory (plateau) airway pressures, lower tidal volumes (V T ), and higher positive end-expiratory pressures (PEEPs) can improve survival in patients with the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), but the relative importance of each of these components is uncertain. Because respiratory-system compliance (C RS ) is strongly related to the volume of aerated remaining functional lung during disease (termed functional lung size)...

Anaphylaxis updates part 2- Empty Ventricle Syndrome

Patients with anaphylaxis should not suddenly sit, stand, or be placed in the upright position. Instead, they should be placed on the back with their lower extremities elevated or, if they are experiencing respiratory distress or vomiting, they should be placed in a position of comfort with their lower extremities elevated. This accomplishes 2 therapeutic goals: 1) preservation of fluid in the circulation (the central vascular compartment), an important step in managing distributive shock; and 2) prevention of the empty vena cava/empty ventricle syndrome, which can occur within seconds when patients with anaphylaxis suddenly assume or are placed in an upright position. Patients with this syndrome are at high risk for sudden death. They are unlikely to respond to epinephrine regardless of route of administration, because it does not reach the heart and therefore cannot be circulated throughout the body