Apparatus and method for electroencephalographic examination

A method comprising:

• causing estimated or measured non-zero amounts of an anesthetic drug substance to be introduced continuously into a body of a person at a rate of from 2 mg/(kg*h) to 4 mg/(kg*h);
• receiving electroencephalographic data for a brain based on at least one measurement of the person exposed to the estimated or measured non-zero amounts of the anesthetic drug substance, the electroencephalographic data comprising slow waves having a frequency at or below 1 Hz;
• adjusting the estimated or measured non-zero amounts of the anesthetic drug substance based on at least one of the following:
• the electroencephalographic data, activity of the slow waves, and data relating to the estimated or measured non-zero amounts of the anesthetic drug substance;
• determining changes in the activity of the slow waves of the electroencephalographic data with respect to the estimated or measured non-zero amounts of the anesthetic drug substance;
• predicting a good neurological recovery of the person if the activity of the slow waves increases by more than 50% relative to the activity of the slow waves prior to the introduction of the anesthetic drug substance and predicting a poor neurological recovery of the person if the activity of the slow waves does not increase by more than 50% relative to the activity of the slow waves prior to the introduction of the anesthetic drug substance;
• and
• presenting result data that represent the changes and that show (i) whether the activity of the slow waves has increased by more than 50% with the introduction of the anesthetic drug substance, thereby indicating the good neurological recovery, or (ii) whether the activity of the slow waves has not increased by more than 50% with the introduction of the anesthetic drug substance, thereby indicating the poor neurological recovery.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program code stored thereon, the computer program code being configured to cause a computer apparatus to:

• cause estimated or measured non-zero amounts of an anesthetic drug substance to be introduced continuously into a body of a person at a rate of from 2 mg/(kg*h) to 4 mg/(kg*h);
• receive electroencephalographic data for a brain based on at least one measurement of the person exposed to the estimated or measured non-zero amounts of the anesthetic drug substance, the electroencephalographic data comprising slow waves having a frequency at or below 1 Hz;
• adjust the estimated or measured non-zero amounts of the anesthetic drug substance based on at least one of the following:
• the electroencephalographic data, activity of the slow waves, and data relating to the estimated or measured non-zero amounts of the anesthetic drug substance;
• determine changes in the activity of the slow waves of the electroencephalographic data with respect to the estimated or measured non-zero amounts of the anesthetic drug substance;
• predict a good neurological recovery of the person if the activity of the slow waves increases by more than 50% relative to the activity of the slow waves prior to the introduction of the anesthetic drug substance and predict a poor neurological recovery of the person if the activity of the slow waves does not increase by more than 50% relative to the activity of the slow waves prior to the introduction of the anesthetic drug substance;
• and
• present result data that represent the changes and that show (i) whether the activity of the slow waves has increased by more than 50% with the introduction of the anesthetic drug substance, thereby indicating the good neurological recovery, or (ii) whether the activity of the slow waves has not increased by more than 50% with the introduction of the anesthetic drug substance, thereby indicating the poor neurological recovery.