Tag: Autonomic Dysreflexia

Chronic pain is a common and often debilitating problem that can significantly impact function and quality of life for patients with spinal cord injury.

To help find treatment solutions, UBC researchers are investigating the effectiveness of a drug called Targin at treating chronic pain in individuals with spinal cord injury. The research team is now recruiting study participants.

Dr. Ebraheim’s educational animated video describes the spinal cord examination & evaluation.

People with spinal cord injures at or above T6 may be at risk for a condition called autonomic dysreflexia that can result in a dangerous spike in blood pressure.

Patients with spinal cord injury or neurological conditions may have neurogenic bowel dysfunction, which often means they depend on routine interventional bowel care, including the digital (manual) removal of faeces (DRF).

Some of these patients, especially those with spinal cord injury above T6, are particularly susceptible to the potentially life-threatening condition autonomic dysreflexia, which is characterised by a rapid rise in blood pressure, risking cerebral haemorrhage and death. A small number of patients who have had a severe stroke or who have severe forms of Parkinson’s Disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, or spina bifida may also be susceptible to autonomic dysreflexia.

SHORT HILLS, N.J., June 27, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving quality of life for people living with paralysis, has created four new videos that feature informative information on different aspects of health and real-life situations while living with paralysis. The videos can be found on the Foundation’s YouTube channel, which also features personal stories, wheelchair reviews, new technology available, and many more.

The newest videos include:

Anna Hopson’s PowerPoint presentation and interactive online lesson about spinal cord injury. Anna covers everything related to spinal cord injuries in this 35 minute Microsoft Office Mix Presentation.

The body is a series of checks and balances. This is true of muscles that push and countering muscles that pull. It is also true of the nervous system that operates in a balancing type of process. Individuals with higher level spinal cord injury can develop a complication called Autonomic Dysreflexia (AD). This is a condition where the sympathetic nervous system is left unchecked by the parasympathetic nervous system.

There is a bundle of nerves at the Thoracic vertebrae number six (T6) level that is a major junction where nerves come close together in the spinal cord. Individuals with spinal cord injury above this level have a disruption in the nerve segment. For these individuals, stimulation of the body at or below T6 can send confusing messages to the brain as the message will create a huge discharge of the sympathetic nervous system using all of the blood flow in the abdomen without the counter control of the parasympathetic nervous system to contain it. Blood pressure rises to extremely high proportions.

Autonomic Dysreflexia is a life threatening condition that can cause death.

The most common causes of Autonomic Dysreflexia are bladder and bowel distension.

Signs and Symptoms: Raised BP, bradycardia, pounding headache, flushing, sweating or blotching above level of injury; pale, cold, goosebumps below level of injury.

Abstract

Background
Some paraplegic patients may wish undergo some surgical procedures, like urological procedures, without anesthesia. However, these patients can develop autonomic hyperreflexia if cystoscopy is performed without anesthesia.

Case presentation
We present a case of severe autonomic hyperreflexia in a 44-year-old male with spinal cord injury at the level of T4 during urologic procedure under sedation and analgesia successfully treated with intravenous lidocaine.

https://youtu.be/PI_9GegVoYk

A quadriplegic from a young age following surgery for a spinal tumor, Mr. Erlanger appeared on the “Neighborhood” at age 10 (1981), but his relationship with Fred Rogers continued through the years.