Recovery from near death following cerebral anoxia: A case report demonstrating superiority of median somatosensory evoked potentials over EEG in predicting a favorable outcome after cardiopulmonary resuscitation

An electroencephalogram disclosing electrocerebral silence (ECS) after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is usually considered an unfavorable prognostic indicator associated with brain death or persistent vegetative state. I report a case of a comatose patient following cardiac arrest, whose initial electroencphalography (EEG) was isoelectric taken 5 h after onset. Median somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) obtained immediately after the initial EEG were normal. He then underwent gradual recovery of neurologic function with incremental improvement on serial EEG study, and eventually achieved full neurological recovery. SSEP proved to be a more reliable predictor of a neurological outcome that was ultimately favorable.