Serum neuron-specific enolase predicting neurological outcomes post-cardiac arrest: a review of the literature.

Background: Coronary artery disease is a major problem in the United States, affecting 785 000 individuals, with the most serious event being a cardiopulmonary arrest. Families of post-cardiac arrest patients are left with difficult decisions to be made.

Objective: This article is a comprehensive literature review examining the current research available to health care professionals about the biomarker serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and its use in predicting neurological outcomes in comatose post-cardiac arrest patients.