About This Course

Educational Need:

During general anesthesia and sedation, there are highly structured patterns that can be observed by using an electroencephalogram (EEG). These patterns relate to different states of altered arousal. Furthermore, we can relate these patterns to the physiological actions of different anesthetic drugs on specific molecular targets, in specific neural circuits of the brain. With proper training and experience you can recognize these EEG patterns and use them to provide tailored, “personalized anesthesia care.”

About the “EEG for Anesthesia” Course:

The “EEG for Anesthesia” course is comprised of three modules:

1. Basics of Clinical EEG for General Anesthesia and Sedation
   This module is the first of three modules which comprise the "EEG for Anesthesia" course. It will introduce you to a new neurophysiologically based paradigm for brain state monitoring of patients receiving anesthesia care. The module consists of a series of practice questions, which are not graded. These are followed by a series of test questions. Learners must score at least 80% on the test questions in order to receive CME for the module. Upon answering questions, learners are presented with a detailed explanation for the correct response, including relevant references for follow-up.
   
   Estimated time to complete: 3 hours.


2. Anesthesia EEG Case Studies
   This module is the second of three modules which comprise the "EEG for Anesthesia" course. This second module will present EEG waveforms and spectrograms from actual clinical cases and ask you to apply what you have learned from the first module, "Basics of Clinical EEG for General Anesthesia and Sedation," to evaluate the observed EEG patterns. The module consists of a series of practice questions, which are not graded. These are followed by a series of test questions. Learners must score at least 80% on the test questions in order to receive CME for the module. Upon answering questions, learners are presented with a detailed explanation for the correct response, including relevant references for follow-up.
   
   Estimated time to complete: 3 hours.


3. Clinical EEG for Anesthesia Management of Elderly Patients
   This module is the third of three modules which comprise the "EEG for Anesthesia" course. It will build upon the material presented in the first course, "Basics of Clinical EEG for General Anesthesia and Sedation." The module aims to provide an introductory look at some age-related changes to the brain and how the EEG signal during anesthesia may change as a result of typical aging. The module consists of a series of practice questions, which are not graded. These are followed by a series of test questions. Learners must score at least 80% on the test questions in order to receive CME for the module. Upon answering questions, learners are presented with a detailed explanation for the correct response, including relevant references for follow-up.
   
   Estimated time to complete: 3 hours.

Steps to Complete the Activity:

Prior to taking the course, it is recommended that those unfamiliar with the EEG, how it relates to anesthetic brain state, and the neurophysiological mechanisms of common anesthetic drugs (e.g., propofol, inhaled ether-derived anesthetics, dexmedetomidine, and ketamine):

1. Review the 2015 article "Clinical Electroencephalography for Anesthesiologists – Part 1: Background and Basic Signatures." (OPTIONAL PREWORK)
2. Review a series of short, animated videos that provide a quick introduction to some essential concepts for using the EEG for anesthesia management. (OPTIONAL PREWORK)

1. A series of practice questions.
2. A posttest with a minimum passing score of 80%.
3. An activity evaluation.
4. An attestation of participation.

After completing these steps for an individual module, the learner will be able to retrieve a certificate of completion for that module.