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Author Spotlight: A Unique Mouse Model of Asphyxia-Induced Cardiac Arrest
Published on: April 14, 2023
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The International Cardiac Arrest Research Consortium Electroencephalography Database
Edilberto Amorim1,2, Wei-Long Zheng3, Mohammad M Ghassemi4
1Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA.
Critical Care Medicine
|October 19, 2023
Summary
The International Cardiac Arrest Research (I-CARE) database harmonizes clinical and electroencephalography data from cardiac arrest patients. This resource aids research into hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and its neurophysiological patterns.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Critical Care Medicine
- Clinical Data Science
Background:
- Cardiac arrest survivors often experience hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, necessitating advanced neurophysiological monitoring.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) is crucial for assessing brain function and predicting outcomes in these patients.
- Existing data are fragmented, hindering large-scale research into brain injury after cardiac arrest.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish the International Cardiac Arrest Research (I-CARE) database, a harmonized multicenter repository.
- To facilitate research on acute hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in cardiac arrest patients using integrated clinical and EEG data.
- To provide a comprehensive dataset for understanding neurophysiological patterns and outcomes.
Main Methods:
- A multicenter cohort study, combining prospective and retrospective data collection.
- Inclusion of comatose adult patients (≥16 years) with continuous EEG monitoring after return of spontaneous circulation.
- Harmonization of clinical and EEG data into a common Waveform Database-compatible format across seven academic institutions.
Main Results:
- The I-CARE database contains 1,020 patients' data, including 56,676 hours of continuous EEG.
- Significant variability in EEG recording duration was observed based on neurological outcome (Cerebral Performance Category - CPC).
- Epileptiform activity (≥1 Hz for ≥1 hour) was present in 25% of patients, with higher prevalence in poorer outcomes (CPC 3-5). Burst suppression was noted in 56% (CPC 1-2) and 97% (CPC 3-5).
Conclusions:
- The I-CARE database offers a unique, large-scale, real-world dataset for neurophysiology research in post-cardiac arrest patients.
- The dataset captures a wide spectrum of EEG abnormalities, including epileptiform patterns and the ictal-interictal continuum.
- This resource will advance understanding of brain injury mechanisms and prognostication following cardiac arrest.

