Bispectral index monitoring documents burst suppression during pentobarbital coma.

During pentobarbital coma, electroencephalographic monitoring is used to document burst suppression (3-5 episodes of electrical activity/min). The current study evaluates the association of the bispectral index number and suppression ratio with a burst suppression pattern on electroencephalograph. The records of 7 patients (aged 2.9-14 years) who received pentobarbital for elevated intracranial pressure were retrospectively reviewed. The bispectral index number was 7 +/- 5, 14 +/- 3, and 37 +/- 12, whereas the suppression ratio was 93 +/- 7%, 75 +/- 6%, and 29 +/- 18% when the electroencephalograph showed <or= 2, 3-5, and >or= 6 bursts/min, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of a bispectral index value of 10 to 20 were 96% and 92%, respectively, whereas the sensitivity and specificity of a suppression ratio of 65% to 85% were 89% and 88%, respectively, in demonstrating the presence of 3 to 5 bursts/min. Bispectral index monitoring may be easier to perform and may require less technical expertise to interpret.