Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · Jul 1997
Serum neuron-specific enolase as early predictor of outcome after cardiac arrest.
To examine the prognostic value of serum neuron-specific enolase for early prediction of outcome in patients at risk for anoxic encephalopathy after cardiac arrest. ⋯ In patients who have been resuscitated after cardiac arrest, serum neuron-specific enolase concentrations of >33 ng/mL predict persistent coma with a high specificity. Values below this cutoff level do not necessarily indicate complete recovery, because this method has a sensitivity of 80%.