Impact of acute cardiovascular collapse on cerebral electrical activity: importance of heart-brain interaction

A preterm infant experienced pericardial tamponade due to a deep central line. During the event the patient was on neurological monitoring, ampli­tude integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG), which demonstrated abnormal baseline activity during the point of cardiovascular collapse with improvement once intervention occurred with pericardiocentesis. The case highlights the value of neurological monitoring in acute hemodynamic instability.