Revista Brasileira de terapia intensiva
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Rev Bras Ter Intensiva · Dec 2006
[Serum neuron-specific enolase as a prognostic marker after a cardiac arrest].
Cardiac arrest is a state of severe cerebral perfusion deficit. Patients recovering from a cardiopulmonary resuscitation are at great risk of subsequent death or incapacitating neurologic injury, including persistent vegetative state. The early definition of prognosis for these patients has ethical and economic implications. The main purpose of this manuscript was to review the prognostic value of serum Neuron-Specific Enolase (NSE) in predicting outcomes in patients early after a cardiac arrest. ⋯ Outcome after a cardiac arrest is mostly determined by the degree of hypoxic brain damage and early determinations of serum NSE level can be a valuable ancillary method for assessing outcome in these patients.