Jie Pan MD, PhD, Amputch Karukote MD, Eri Shoji MD
A burst-suppression pattern is an electroencephalographic pattern characterized by a quasi-periodic high amplitude “burst” alternating with periods of low or flatline “suppression.” Recognizing and understanding this pattern is helpful for clinical management in intensive care units. Pathological burst-suppression is commonly seen in post cardiac arrest comatose patients. It can also be induced by anesthetics or hypothermia. A burst-suppression pattern in anoxic brain injury generally predicts a poor prognosis; however, exceptions do occur. Inducing burst-suppression by general anesthetics can be used to abort super-refractory status epilepticus. This article will discuss this unique EEG pattern, including basic mechanisms, related clinical conditions, and recent research updates.
Keywords: EEG, burst-suppression, anoxic encephalopathy
Article citation: Pan J, Karukote A, Shoji E. Clinical approach to burst-suppression pattern in an intensive care unit: basic and updates. The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles 2020;8(36):61–65
From: Department of Neurology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas
Submitted: 6/4/2020
Accepted: 10/3/2020
Reviewer: Jannatul Ferdous MD
Conflicts of interest: none
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