A “NIRS” death experience: a reduction in cortical oxygenation by time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy preceding cardiac arrest

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been used effectively post-cardiac-arrest to gauge adequacy of resuscitation and predict the likelihood of achieving a return of spontaneous circulation. However, preempting hemodynamic collapse is preferable to achieving ROSC through advanced cardiac life support. Minimizing “time down” without end-organ perfusion has always been a central pillar of ACLS. In many critically ill patients there is a prolonged phase of end-organ hypoperfusion preceding loss of palpable pulses and initiation of ACLS. Due to the relative infrequency of in-hospital cardiac arrest, NIRS has not previously evaluated the period immediately prior to hemodynamic collapse. Here we report a young man who suffered a pulseless electrical activity (PEA) arrest while cortical oxygenation was monitored using time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy. The onset of cortical deoxygenation preceded the loss of palpable pulses by 15 min, suggesting that TRS-NIRS monitoring might provide a means of preempting PEA arrest. Our experience with this patient represents a promising new direction for continuous NIRS monitoring and has the potential to not only predict clinical outcomes, but affect them to the patient’s benefit as well.