Evaluation of the Cerebral Function Monitor as a tool for neurophysiological surveillance in neonatal intensive care patients

BACKGROUND: Cerebral function in critically ill infants is difficult to assess and would certainly require continuous monitoring. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the Cerebral Function Monitor (CFM) as a tool for continuous neurophysiological surveillance in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). PATIENTS: A total of 40 neurological risk neonates were included in the study. They were classified on the basis of their primary diagnoses as infants with clinically manifest seizures, suspected seizure activity, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). A group of 20 neurologically normal (preterm and full-term) infants served as controls. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: All patients with seizures showed pathologic patterns in both the CFM and the conventional EEG tracings. The patients with ICH showed depressed amplitudes, an increase in discontinuous activity, and a high incidence of seizure activity. The patients with HIE were characterized by depressed activities correlating with the severity of the pathology. Our results indicate that the CFM is a very helpful tool for neurophysiological surveillance in high-risk neonates.