Recovery of brain function after cardiac arrest, case report and review

Cerebral hypoxia during cardiac arrest is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in survival victims. To reduce cerebral damage, studies focus on finding effective treatments during the resuscitation period. Our report focuses on a 36-year-old police officer who had had two cardiac arrests (one at home and one at the hospital). After acute treatment, his cardiac and brain functions recovered impressively. Neuropsychological results were normal except for mild anomia. He also reported some retrograde memory loss. Surprisingly, he also reported an improvement in a very specific capacity, his episodic memory. We here review the possible causes and mechanisms that may have affected his memory abilities.