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Methods Inf Med 1994; 33(01): 133-138
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1634989
Original Article
Schattauer GmbH

The Value to the Anaesthetist of Monitoring Cerebral Activity

R. M. Langford
1   Anaesthetic Laboratory, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, UK
,
C. E. Thomsen
2   Institute of Electronic Systems University of Aalborg, Denmark
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
08 February 2018 (online)

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Abstract:

The administration rate of general anaesthetic drugs is at present guided by clinical experience, and indirect indicators such as haemodynamic parameters. In the presence of muscle relaxants most of the clinical signs of inadequate anaesthesia are lost and accidental awareness may occur. A number of monitoring modalities, primarily based on analysis of the electroencephalogram (EEG), have been proposed for measurement of the anaesthetic depth. Moreover intraoperative cerebral monitoring may also provide the anaesthetist with early warning of cerebral ischaemia, or information on specific neurological pathways. To facilitate this, it is essential to combine analysis of the spontaneous EEG with recording of evoked potentials, to assess both cortical and subcortical activity/events. None of the reviewed methods, however promising, can alone meet all of the requirements for intraoperative monitoring of cerebral function. We suggest that the future direction should be to integrate several modalities in a single device, to provide valuable new information, upon which to base clinical management decisions.

Keywords

Anaesthetic Depth - Electroencephalogram - Cerebral Function - Neurological Function - Pattern Recognition - Evoked Potentials.
 

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