Monitoring development of autonomic dysreflexia during urodynamic investigation in patients with spinal cord injury

Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is a condition where the blood pressure increases rapidly, often with a slowed heart rate, in people with spinal cord injuries. This study aimed to see how often AD develops during urodynamic investigations in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) with neurological level below thoracic (T) 6 together with the frequency and related factors for AD development. The researchers measured the blood pressure and heart rate of 51 patients with SCI below the T6 level before and during a bladder function test called urodynamic study. They looked for changes in these measurements that could indicate AD. The study found that AD is rare during urodynamic investigation in patients with a neurological level below T6, but clinicians should monitor patients, especially those closer to the T6 level. Heart rate should also be monitored along with blood pressure.

• 1
  Autonomic dysreflexia developed in only one of the 51 patients during the urodynamic investigation. In this patient, blood pressure increased significantly, and heart rate decreased.
• 2
  A statistically significant difference was found between the mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) values at the beginning and end of the filling phase of the urodynamic study.
• 3
  The patient who developed AD had a neurological level at T8, suggesting that patients with lesions closer to T6 may be at higher risk.