Effects of intravenous human albumin and furosemide on EEG recordings in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize alterations in continuous EEG monitoring that occurs during and after intravenous infusion of human albumin or furosemide in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.
METHODS: Patients were rapidly administered 20% human albumin 50 ml or furosemide 40 mg intravenously with continuous EEG monitoring for 3h before and after drug infusion in the neurological intensive care unit. Visual and spectral analyses of EEG recordings before and after mannitol administration were carried out.
RESULTS: The study consisted of 20 patients. Of 14 patients with human albumin treatment, a decrease in the slowing activity was visually noted in 9 cases after the drug infusion. The spectral analysis demonstrated that albumin-induced EEG changes increased in alpha power and decreased in delta power in the lesion hemispheres, especially in the central and middle temporal areas. The effects occurred after 30 min and were maximal 1h after the end of the infusion, then remained significant for 2h post-infusion. Of 6 patients with furosemide treatment, the EEG recordings before, during, and after the furosemide infusion were not statistically significantly different by visual and quantitative analyses.
CONCLUSIONS: The results support the opinion that the available EEG monitoring techniques offer an inexpensive, non-invasive, and consistently reproducible technique for reflecting the therapeutic effects of therapeutics in lowering ICP and antiedema in stroke patients.