Serum Level of Neuron-Specific Enolase and Its Changes after Treatment with Mechanical Ventilation in Patients with Pulmonary Encephalopathy

Objective To observe the serum level of neuron-specific enolase(NSE) in patients with pulmonary encephalopathy and its changes after treatment with mechanical ventilation.Methods Twenty-one patients with pulmonary encephalopathy were enrolled.Glasgow coma scale(GCS),serum NSE level,and arterial blood gas were evaluated at three time-points:before mechanical ventilation,after 12 hours mechanical ventilation,and the moment of consciousness.Results 18 patients recovered consciousness,and 3 patients remained in persistent coma and died.GCS and arterial blood gas improved obviously after 12 hours mechanical ventilation.Meanwhile,the serum NSE concentration decreased significantly after 12 hours mechanical ventilation [(24.54±6.65)μg/L] and at the moment of consciousness [(14.19±2.91)μg/L] compared with before mechanical ventilation(P0.05,P0.01).Conclusion Dynamic measurment of serum NSE may be a useful biomarker for assessing the severity of cerebral injury and predicting prognosis.