EEG ICU and Continuous EEG Monitoring

Question 1

Continuous EEG (cEEG) monitoring in the ICU is most commonly indicated to detect:

Accepted Answer

Nonconvulsive seizures and nonconvulsive status epilepticus

Answer

cEEG is the primary tool for identifying nonconvulsive seizures (NCS) and nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) in comatose or critically ill patients who cannot show motor signs.

Question 2

The American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) standardized critical care EEG terminology defines a periodic discharge as a waveform recurring at a rate of at least:

Accepted Answer

≥1 Hz for ≥6 cycles

Answer

ACNS 2021 criteria define periodic discharges as recurring ≥1 Hz with ≥6 consecutive cycles showing a consistent morphology.

Question 3

Lateralized periodic discharges (LPDs), formerly called PLEDs, are most often associated with:

Accepted Answer

Acute hemispheric structural lesions such as stroke or herpes encephalitis

Answer

LPDs typically reflect acute or subacute focal cortical injury and are a common finding in herpes simplex encephalitis and hemispheric stroke.

Question 4

Burst suppression on EEG in a critically ill patient is characterized by:

Accepted Answer

Alternating bursts of high-amplitude mixed activity and periods of near-flat EEG

Answer

Burst suppression consists of bursts of mixed-frequency, often high-amplitude activity alternating with periods of electrocerebral suppression (<10 µV), indicating severe cerebral dysfunction.

Question 5

In continuous EEG monitoring, a quantitative EEG (qEEG) compressed spectral array (CSA) is used primarily to:

Accepted Answer

Summarize hours of raw EEG into a compressed visual trend to detect seizures or ischemia

Answer

CSA and other qEEG displays compress long EEG recordings into time-frequency trends, allowing technologists and clinicians to rapidly identify seizure activity or ischemic changes over hours.

EEG - Electroencephalography Practice Test

EEG - Electroencephalography Practice Test

EEG ICU and Continuous EEG Monitoring