Yield of intermittent versus continuous EEG in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest treated with hypothermia

Table 2 Electroencephalography (EEG) characteristics.

EEG characteristics
n = 34
Hypothermia:	*Continuous EEG*	*Standard EEG*	*Agreement*	*95% CI* *(confidence* *interval)*	*Concordance (Cohen's kappa)*
Discontinuous background/flat	12 (35.3%)	13 (38.2%)*	33 (97.1%)	84.6 - 99.9
Nonreactive EEG background	13 (38.2%)	14 (41.2%)*	33 (97.1%)	84.6 - 99.9
Epileptiform discharges	8 (23.5%)	6 (17.7%)**	32 (94.1%)	80.3 - 99.2	0.83
Normothermia:	*Continuous EEG*	*Standard EEG*	*Agreement*	*95% CI*
Discontinuous background/flat	12 (35.3%)	12 (35.3%)	34 (100%)	89.7 - 100***
Nonreactive EEG background	13 (38.2%)	13 (38.2%)	34 (100%)	89.7 - 100***
Epileptiform discharges	9 (26.4%)	9 (26.4%)	34 (100%)	89.7 - 100***	1

*In the same patient, the EEG started with a nonreactive burst-suppression pattern, which evolved during therapeutic hypothermia to a continuous and reactive trace. Continuous EEG monitoring was started 6 h after cardiac arrest; **epileptiform discharges were missed in two patients. One had very rare spikes and waves missed with standard EEG, and the other became epileptiform only 12 hours after cEEG start; his EEG was started 12 h after cardiac arrest; ***one-sided 97.5% confidence interval

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