Delayed encephalopathy following cardiac arrest.

A 46 year old woman suffered a post-operative cardiac arrest associated with prolonged depression of oxygenation and respiration. She made a good initial recovery but one year later insidiously developed symptoms of widespread central nervous system damage compatible with a delayed post-hypoxic encephalopathy. This case is unusual in the length of time between the hypoxic insult and the later deterioration and also illustrates other atypical features of a delayed post-hypoxic syndrome.