Screening and diagnosis

Classification and risk stratification

Perioperative care

Quality improvement

Patient education

Nonpharmacologic interventions

Therapeutic procedures

Respiratory support

Follow-up and surveillance

Specific circumstances

Preventative measures

Medical management

Surgical interventions

Inpatient care

Diagnostic procedures

Diagnostic investigations

Insufficient evidence to make a recommendation.

Strongly favor this test or intervention.

The Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) Scale is a tool designed for categorizing patients based on their cerebral function and neurological capabilities. It evaluates individuals through specific descriptions of their clinical features and levels of function, resulting in one of five distinct CPC classifications. This scale helps provide a standardized assessment of neurological outcomes, particularly for patients who might be experiencing neurological impairments.

Here's how the CPC Scale works:

You are given descriptions of clinical features and levels of function. Based on the description that best matches the patient, a corresponding CPC level is assigned. These are the descriptions and their corresponding CPC levels:

- Conscious, alert, able to work and lead a normal life; may have minor psychologic or neurologic deficits.
  - CPC 1: Good cerebral performance
- Conscious, with sufficient cerebral function for part-time work in a sheltered environment or to do independent activities of daily life; may have hemiplegia, seizures, ataxia, dysarthria, dysphasia, or permanent memory or mental changes.
  - CPC 2: Moderate cerebral disability
- Conscious, but dependent on others for daily support (in an institution or at home with exceptional family effort) with at least limited cognition; includes a wide range of neurologic dysfunctions, from ambulatory patients with severe memory disturbances or dementia precluding independent existence to paralyzed patients able to communicate only with their eyes.
  - CPC 3: Severe cerebral disability
- Unconscious, unaware of surroundings, no cognition, no verbal or psychological interaction with the environment.
  - CPC 4: Coma or vegetative state
- Meeting criteria for brain death (such as apnea, areflexia, electrocardiogram silence).
  - CPC 5: Brain death

Each CPC level provides a standardized interpretation of the patient's neurological state, facilitating consistent evaluations and helping healthcare professionals communicate the severity of neurological impairments clearly. The CPC levels range from 1 (indicating the best cerebral performance) to 5 (indicating brain death), offering a simple and straightforward way to categorize patient conditions.

The Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) Scale is a neurological scale used in the assessment of patients following a cardiac arrest. This scale is particularly useful in evaluating the neurological outcome of patients after cardiac arrest, and it is often used in research and clinical trials to measure the effectiveness of various interventions. The CPC Scale ranges from 1 to 5, with 1 indicating good cerebral performance or minor disability, and 5 indicating brain death. There are no specific exclusion criteria for its use, but it is most applicable to patients who have experienced a cardiac arrest.

Cerebral Performance Category (CPC) Scale

Brain death

Prerequisites for evaluation

Prerequisites for evaluation (hypotension)

As per AAN/AAP/CNS/SCCM 2023 guidelines, 

Prerequisites for evaluation (neuroendocrine function)

Prerequisites for evaluation (drugs and metabolic derangements)

Avoidance of conflict of interest

Family support

Organ donation

Neurological evaluation

Neurological evaluation (numbers of examinations)

Pregnant patients

Apnea testing

Prerequisites for evaluation (timing)

Determining time of death

Health professional training

Ancillary testing

Ancillary testing (tests)

General principles

Consent acquisition

Prerequisites for evaluation (hypothermia)

Prerequisites for evaluation (etiology)

Neurological evaluation (components)

Ancillary testing (indications)

Brain death

Guidelines

Key sources