Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

[Alpha coma--a prognostic sign?]

D Djordjević, A Jovicić, M Mihajlović

    Vojnosanitetski Pregled
    |June 5, 1998
    PubMed
    Summary

    Alpha coma, a rare EEG finding, occurred in a cardiac arrest patient. Despite resembling normal brain activity, it indicated severe dysfunction and did not predict a favorable outcome.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    Potential use of serum insulin-like growth factor 1 and E-cadherin as biomarkers of colorectal cancer.

    Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland·2020
    Same author

    Inverse association between serum endocan levels and small LDL and HDL particles in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    European review for medical and pharmacological sciences·2020
    Same author

    First Report of Brown Rot Caused by Monilinia fructicola on Nectarine in Serbia.

    Plant disease·2019
    Same author

    A bioartificial kidney device with polarized secretion of immune modulators.

    Journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine·2018
    Same author

    Mild intracellular acidification by dexamethasone attenuates mitochondrial dysfunction in a human inflammatory proximal tubule epithelial cell model.

    Scientific reports·2017
    Same author

    Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms association with the risk of sepsis and mortality.

    International journal of immunogenetics·2017

    Area of Science:

    • Neuroscience
    • Clinical Neurology
    • Critical Care Medicine

    Background:

    • Penetrating cardiac wounds can lead to cardiac arrest and subsequent coma.
    • Alpha coma, characterized by specific electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns, is a rare neurophysiological finding.
    • Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) assess brainstem, subcortical, and cortical function.

    Observation:

    • A patient presented with cardiac arrest, coma, and EEG alpha coma.
    • Initial auditory evoked potentials-brainstem (AEPB), subcortical, and cortical responses were abnormal.
    • EEG shifted from alpha to theta and delta frequencies by day six.
    • AEPB amplitude decreased with prolonged latency; cortical and subcortical responses disappeared.

    Findings:

    • Alpha coma in this cardiac arrest case evolved into generalized brain dysfunction.
    • Progressive deterioration of neurophysiological responses (EEG and AEPs) was observed.
    • The patient ultimately experienced a lethal outcome with complete brain dysfunction.

    Implications:

    • Alpha coma, despite its EEG appearance, signifies severe neurological impairment, particularly after cardiac arrest.
    • The neurophysiological characteristics of alpha coma do not predict a favorable prognosis.
    • This case highlights the importance of comprehensive neurophysiological monitoring in comatose patients following cardiac arrest.

    Related Experiment Videos