Methods and an apparatus are provided, which may be used for determining the prognosis and/or diagnosis of a subject demonstrating burst suppression, whereby the subject has or is at risk of developing brain damage. In particular, the methods and apparatus determine the prognosis and/or diagnosis through the detection of bursts from a reading of electrical and/or electromagnetic activity of the subject's brain, such as an electroencephalogram (EEG), and subsequent analysis of one or more burst metrics derived therefrom.