Neurologic complications of cardiac arrest

Cardiac arrest is a common and serious medical emergency affecting upwards of 450000 Americans on an annual basis. It causes a substantial strain on the physical and financial resources of the medical system. The optimal management of patients requires the close collaboration of multiple specialists, including first responders, intensivists, cardiologists, and neurologists. The role of the neurologist for the post-arrest patient is to assist in management to minimize brain injury as well as to prognosticate long-term outcomes to help guide therapy decisions of families and physicians. This review focuses on epidemiologic data, current management recommendations, clinical and ancillary testing to suggest long-term prognosis, and common complications of cardiac arrest. Particular attention has been paid to updates, including therapeutic hypothermia, since this topic was last reviewed in 1993.