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ICU and Continuous EEG Monitoring Flashcards

7 cards from real EEG practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 ICU and Continuous EEG Monitoring flashcards as text

  1. Which EEG pattern in a comatose patient is most associated with nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE)?

    Answer: Rhythmic or periodic discharges evolving in frequency or morphology

    Rhythmic or periodic discharges that evolve in frequency, morphology, or spatial distribution are the hallmark EEG feature of NCSE in critically ill patients.

  2. In continuous EEG monitoring, what is the recommended minimum duration of recording to detect the majority of seizures in high-risk ICU patients?

    Answer: 24 hours

    Studies show that 24 hours of continuous EEG monitoring captures approximately 80–90% of seizures in high-risk ICU patients.

  3. A patient post-cardiac arrest shows an EEG with suppression-burst ratio >50% and identical burst morphology across channels. What does this suggest?

    Answer: Severe diffuse cortical injury with poor prognosis

    High suppression-burst ratios with stereotyped bursts in post-cardiac arrest patients indicate severe anoxic brain injury and are associated with poor neurological outcomes.

  4. Which quantitative EEG (qEEG) trend is most useful for detecting secondary cerebral ischemia in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients?

    Answer: Relative alpha variability (RAV)

    Relative alpha variability decreases prior to and during delayed cerebral ischemia in SAH patients, making it the most validated qEEG marker for vasospasm detection.

  5. When interpreting cEEG in a patient receiving midazolam infusion, which pattern is expected and should not be mistaken for pathology?

    Answer: Diffuse beta activity with spindle-like waveforms

    Benzodiazepines and other sedatives typically produce diffuse beta frequency enhancement that can resemble sleep spindles and is a normal pharmacological effect.

  6. A continuous EEG shows lateralized periodic discharges (LPDs) at 2 Hz in a patient with herpes simplex encephalitis. What is the significance of LPDs in this context?

    Answer: They indicate ictal or interictal activity and require antiseizure consideration

    LPDs in HSV encephalitis represent a continuum between interictal and ictal activity (the 'ictal-interictal continuum') and typically warrant antiseizure medication evaluation.

  7. Which electrode placement is most critical to include when performing cEEG specifically to detect subcortical or deep seizure activity in ICU patients?

    Answer: Temporal chain electrodes (T3, T4, T5, T6)

    Temporal chain electrodes are essential for capturing mesial temporal lobe seizures, which are among the most common seizure types missed with reduced electrode arrays in ICU cEEG.