Evaluation of cerebral perfusion in sepsis-associated encephalopathy during severe septic shock using processed EEG. A case report

Septic encephalopathy is characterized by diffuse brain dysfunction due to sepsis. Its etiology is multifactorial, and alterations in membrane potentials and regional flows, among other processes, are involved in its genesis. Given the relationship between cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the electrical activity of neuronal cells, which determines that as CBF decreases, fast waves decrease and slow waves progressively predominate, processed electroencephalogram (pEEG) with spectrophotometry appears to be a useful tool in the monitoring of septic encephalopathy, as it is noninvasive, continuous, and easy to implement. We present the report of a man admitted for severe septic shock with multiple organ dysfunction. We continuously observed the coupling between changes in systemic perfusion and brain electrical activity using processed EEG.