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Post-cardiac arrest brain injury is a common cause of morbidity and mortality. In one study of patients who survived to ICU admission but subsequently died in the hospital, brain injury was the cause of death in 68% after out-of hospital cardiac arrest and in 23% after in-hospital cardiac arrest. The unique vulnerability of the brain is attributed to its limited tolerance of ischaemia as well as its unique response to reperfusion.
Post-cardiac arrest brain injury manifests as coma, seizures, myoclonus, varying degrees of neurocognitive dysfunction and brain death. Post-cardiac arrest brain injury may be exacerbated by microcirculatory failure, impaired autoregulation, hypercarbia, hyperoxia, pyrexia, hyperglycaemia and seizures. |
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