Hypothermia after CPR prolongs conduction times of somatosensory evoked potentials.

Background: To investigate the effect of mild hypothermia on conduction times and amplitudes of median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) in patients after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Methods: Patients treated with hypothermia after CPR who underwent SEP recording during hypothermia and after rewarming were selected from a prospectively collected database. Latencies and amplitudes of N9 (peripheral conduction time, PCT), N13, and N20 were measured.