Prognosis for patients in a coma following cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Most patients with post-anoxic coma after resuscitation have a poor prognosis. Reliable prediction of poor outcomes (death or vegetative state after 1 month; death, vegetative state or severe disability after at least 6 months) at an early stage is important for both family members and treating physicians. Poor outcome can be predicted with 100% reliability in the first 3 days after resuscitation in about 80% of patients using pupillary and corneal reflexes and motor response from the neurological examination, cortical responses from somatosensory evoked potentials and EEG. The predictive value of a status epilepticus or serum levels of neuron-specific enolase is uncertain at this time. In contrast to poor outcomes, good neurological recovery cannot be predicted reliably at this time.