Monitoring anoxic depolarization at the bedside: A step closer to the 24th century

Abstract

Anoxic depolarization starts the clock for irreversible brain injury. Yet, this critical indicator has been highly elusive and notoriously difficult to capture using currently available clinical monitoring tools. Recent data suggest that it may be possible to detect anoxic depolarization at the bedside. Detection of such terminal events has far-reaching implications for diagnosis, prognostication, and neuroprotection, as well as the ethics of end-of-life decision-making in neurocritical care.