Anaesthetic drugs & techniques
Sources, impacts, and mechanisms of non-pharmacological artifacts in processed electroencephalography monitoring during anaesthesia and intensive care: A scoping review
Authors' conclusion
Processed EEG Hypnotic indices are vulnerable to a broad range of non-pharmacological artifacts from both patient and environmental sources.
Study context
- Population
- Human patients undergoing Processed EEG (pEEG) monitoring during anaesthesia or critical care with non-pharmacological, non-brain-related artifactsarticles included
- Participants
- 48 patients
- Outcome
- Non-pharmacological artifact sources affecting pEEG monitoring, their impact on hypnotic indices and underlying mechanisms
Methodological detailsthree-step search strategy, previously published protocol, grey literature, Databases: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science; searches 19 June and 11 November 2025, English-language articles or English translations; screening and extraction in Covidence
- Three-step search strategy
- Previously published protocol
- Grey literature
- Databases: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science; searches 19 June and 11 November 2025
- English-language articles or English translations; screening and extraction in Covidence
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Non-pharmacological artifacts affecting pEEG monitoring
- Articles included (of 152 screened)
- 48
- pEEG monitors: BIS (articles)
- 36
- pEEG monitors: Entropy (articles)
- 10
- pEEG monitors: SedLine (articles)
- six
- Artifact types identified (13 patient-derived, 18 non-patient-derived)
- Thirty-one
- Articles reporting artifacts falsely elevating hypnotic indices
- Thrity-seven
- Articles reporting no change in hypnotic indices
- 2
- Articles reporting a decrease in hypnotic indices
- 2
Further findings
Included article types and monitors
- Case reports
- 31
- Case series
- 7
- Studies
- 10
- BIS articles
- 36
- Entropy articles
- 10
- SedLine articles
- 6
- 152 screened articles
Original publication
Sources, impacts, and mechanisms of non-pharmacological artifacts in processed electroencephalography monitoring during anaesthesia and intensive care: A scoping review. BJA Open. Published 30 June 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →