The burst-suppression electroencephalogram.

The burst suppression (BS) pattern of the EEG was originally described as a response to large dosages of anesthetics and sedatives. It was subsequently found over/in isolated cortex due to surgical procedures or lesions underlying the cortex. Around 1960 with the introduction of modern intensive care treatment (intubation, artificial respiration) the BS pattern has become a typical EEG correlate of cerebral anoxia. These obvious consequences of this therapeutic approach with their impact on the EEG picture are more or less inexplicable. The BS pattern is also typical in two rare and severe central nervous system (CNS) disorders in infants: early infantile myoclonic encephalopathy (EIME) and Ohtahara syndrome.