Spindle Coma in the Intensive Care Unit: Different Aetiologies – Different Outcomes
  • Ana Catarina Emidio
    Internal Medicine Department, Hospital de São Bernardo, Centro Hospitalar de Setúbal, Portugal
  • Rita Faria
    Intensive Medicine Department, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, Loures, Portugal
  • Patricia Patricio
    Intensive Medicine Department, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, Loures, Portugal
  • Nuno Canas
    Neurophysiology laboratory, Neurology Department, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, Loures, Portugal
  • António Messias
    Intensive Medicine Department, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, Loures, Portugal
  • Carlos Meneses-Oliveira
    Intensive Medicine Department, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, Loures, Portugal

Keywords

Spindle coma, coma, physiopathology

Abstract

Spindle coma is an electroclinical entity that has been used to describe an EEG pattern of “sleep-like” activity in comatose patients. Although it has been associated with favourable prognosis, its aetiology is one of the key factors for patient outcome. The authors present three cases of spindle coma with different aetiologies (amitriptyline overdose, pontine myelinolysis and hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy) that culminated in different outcomes.

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    Published: 2019-11-15
    Issue: Vol 6 No 11 (view)

    How to cite:
    1.
    Emidio AC, Faria R, Patricio P, Canas N, Messias A, Meneses-Oliveira C. Spindle Coma in the Intensive Care Unit: Different Aetiologies – Different Outcomes. EJCRIM 2019;6 doi:10.12890/2019_001316.

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