A New Biomarker to Predict Neurological Outcomes of Cardiac Arrest

Hypoxic–ischemic injury is a major cause of morbidity following cardiac arrest. We have only a few highly specific markers of poor prognosis, each with certain limitations, highlighting a critical need for better biomarkers of brain injury severity. In this prospective study of 819 unconscious patients after cardiac arrest, nested within a trial of hypothermia treatment for cardiac arrest, researchers measured serum levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), S100, neurofilament light (NL), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours after intensive care admission and correlated the findings with 6-month functional outcomes.