Spinal Cord (1997) 35, 256 ± 257 1997 International Medical Society of Paraplegia All rights reserved 1362 ± 4393/97 $12.00 Autonomic hyperre¯exia associated with recurrent cardiac arrest: Case Report SC Colachis, III1 and DM Clinchot2 1Associate Professor and 2Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation1, Director, SCI Rehabilitation, The Ohio State University, College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA Autonomic hyperre¯exia is a condition which may occur in individuals with spinal cord injuries above the splanchnic sympathetic out¯ow. Noxious stimuli can produce profound alterations in sympathetic pilomotor, sudomotor, and vasomotor activity, as well as disturbances in cardiac rhythm. A case of autonomic hyperre¯exia in a patient with C6 tetraplegia with recurrent ventricular ®brillation and cardiac arrest illustrates the profound eects of massive paroxysmal sympathetic activity associated with this condition. Keywords: autonomic hyperre¯exia; spinal cord injury; ventricular ®brillation Introduction Autonomic hyperre¯exia is a condition of paroxysmal by excessive sweating and ¯ushing. Past episodes of re¯ex sympathetic activity which occurs in response to autonomic hyperre¯exia were generally attributed to noxious stimuli in patients with spinal cord injuries re¯ex voiding, position changes and the presence of above the major splanchnic sympathetic out¯ow.1±3 pressure sores. The heightened sympathetic activity during an episode The attendant had completed the patient's morning of autonomic hyperre¯exia accounts for several of the bowel program, hygiene and dressing activities, and clinical features commonly observed including sudo- started to exit the apartment when he heard gasping. motor and pilomotor phenomenon,1,4 ± 6 vasomotor He returned to ®nd him pulseless, apneic, and sequelae,1 ± 4,7 and alterations in cardiac inotropic and cyanotic. There was no prior evidence of airway chronotropic activity.1,2,4,6,7 diculty. He called the emergency medical personal Cardiac abnormalities described in association with and began basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation mea- episodes of autonomic hyperre¯exia include bradycar- sures. After electrocardiography was made available, dia1,4,6,7 and tachycardia,2,6,7 premature atrial and the emergency medical team found the patient to be in ventricular contractions,1,8 atrial ®brillation9,10 and ventricular ®brillation. He was successfully cardio- conduction block.8 Despite the occurrence of these verted to sinus rhythm, intubated, and emergently arrhythmias associated with autonomic hyperre¯exia, transferred to our acute medical center. they are seldom recognized as a cause of cardiac arrest Initial evaluation in the emergency department in individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury. revealed no obvious etiology (e.g. hypoxemia, hypo- The following case of autonomic hyperre¯exia volemia, or metabolic disturbances) for the cardiac with recurrent ventricular ®brillation and cardiac arrest. Toxicology studies were unremarkable. How- arrest illustrates the profound eects of massive ever, wide variability in blood pressure was recorded paroxysmal sympathetic activity associated with this with pressures ranging from 108/66 ± 170/76 mmHg. condition. Approximately 90 min after arrival, during close observation, his rhythm returned to ventricular Case report ®brillation and he again had a cardiac arrest necessitating resuscitation eorts including cardiover- A 28 year old male with C6 motor and sensory sion. He was successfully resuscitated and was complete tetraplegia (ASIA Impairment Scale `A') transferred to the medical intensive care unit. A from a motor vehicle accident in 1983 experienced an pulmonary angiogram was normal. episode of cardiac arrest on 3 July 1994. He had been The patient's initial hospital course was complicated experiencing recurrent symptoms of autonomic hyper- by wide variations in systolic and diastolic blood re¯exia since the prior evening. His care attendant pressure which improved over the next few days, and noted increased symptoms of autonomic hyperre¯exia an aspiration pneumonia which resolved with treat- that morning during personal care activities manifested ment. He slowly regained consciousness but was confused for several days. This was attributed to anoxic encephalopathy which subsequently resolved. Correspondence: Sam C Colachis, M.D. An initial echocardiogram on 4 July 1994 revealed an Automic hyperreflexia with recurrent cardiac arrest SC Colachis and DM Clinchot 257 ejection fraction of only 27% with apical akinesia. The We hypothesize that heightened sympathetic adre- etiology for this was felt to be cardiac shock. A repeat nergic activity that occurred during an episode of examination performed on 7 July 1994 showed an autonomic hyperre¯exia resulted in a cardiac arrhyth- ejection fraction of 55%. Cardiac catheterization on 8 mia leading to ventricular ®brillation and cardiac July 1994 was normal with a 64% ejection fraction. arrest. The witnessed recurrent ventricular ®brillation On 11 July 1994, he underwent electrophysiological with successful cardiac resuscitation allowed a rare studies which revealed no inducible ventricular opportunity to observe this commonly fatal arrhyth- tachycardia, normal sinus node, and no accessory mia in the presence of autonomic hyperre¯exia. In an pathway. In view of the two prior documented unwitnessed setting, death would certainly have episodes of ventricular ®brillation and cardiac arrest, occurred. the patient opted for an implantable internal cardiac It is interesting to speculate as to what extent de®brillator which was surgically placed on 13 July autonomic hyperre¯exia accounts for the deaths in 1994. He was subsequently discharged home. persons with chronic spinal cord injuries at risk for Our patient is currently enrolled in continuing this condition. Cardiac disease now accounts for a college education. He has had no further episodes of signi®cant number of deaths in the spinal cord injury cardiac arrest and the implanted de®brillator has not population.12 Deaths from cardiac causes in this discharged. population occur at a younger age than has been seen in the general population.12 It is possible that as Discussion individuals with chronic spinal cord injury age, they become more susceptible to the cardiac eects of Autonomic hyperre¯exia is associated with profound heightened sympathetic adrenergic activity occurring alterations in vasomotor,1 ± 4,7 pilomotor4 and sudo- during episodes of autonomic hyperre¯exia. This could motor activity.1,4 ± 6 Heightened sympathetic activity account for some of the unexpected deaths attributable associated with hypertensive crisis during an episode to cardiac disease. have resulted in seizures,3,4,6 retinal4 and intracranial The current case of autonomic hyperre¯exia in a hemorrhages,3 cerebral vascular accidents,3,8 coma3,6 patient with C6 tetraplegia with recurrent ventricular and death.3,6 Resolution of this autonomic phenomen- ®brillation and cardiac arrest illustrates the profound on occurs with removal of the noxious stimulus eects of massive paroxysmal sympathetic activity precipitating the event. associated with this condition. Cardiac abnormalities observed during an episode of autonomic hyperre¯exia include inotropic and chronotropic changes. Palpitations, chest pain,1 dyspnea,6,11 congestive heart failure4 and pulmonary References edema11 have all been reported. Tachycardia2,6 and re¯ex bradycardia1,2,4,6 are most commonly observed 1 Guttmann L, Whitteridge D. Eects of bladder distension on autonomic mechanisms after spinal cord injuries. Brain 1947; 70: in this setting, and are attributed to heightened 361 ± 404. noradrenergic sympathetic activity and re¯ex vagal 2 Kewalramani LS. Autonomic dysre¯exia in traumatic myelo- responses, respectively. Electrocardiographic abnorm- pathy. AmJPhysMed1980; 59: 1±21. alities observed during an attack of autonomic 3 Kursh ED, Freehafer A, Persky L. Complications of autonomic hyperre¯exia include premature atrial and ventricular dysre¯exia. JUrol1977; 118: 70 ± 72. 1,8 1 4 Brown BT, Carrion HM, Politano VA. Guanethidine sulfate in contractions, sinus tachycardia and bradycardia, the prevention of autonomic hyperre¯exia. J Urol 1979; 122: 55 ± alterations in T-wave and U-wave amplitudes,1 atrial 57. ®brillation,9,10 bigeminy8 and conduction block.8 We 5 Head H, Riddoch G. The automatic bladder, excessive sweating are unaware of any reports of ventricular ®brillation in and some other re¯ex conditions, in gross injuries of the spinal cord. Brain 1917; 40: 188 ± 263. association with autonomic hyperre¯exia. 6 Lindan R, Joiner B, Freehafer AA, Hazel C. Incidence and In the present patient, symptoms of autonomic clinical features of autonomic dysre¯exia in patients with spinal hyperre¯exia preceded an initial event of ventricular cord injury. Paraplegia 1980; 18: 285 ± 292. ®brillation and cardiac arrest. During emergency 7 Wurster RD, Randall WC. Cardiovascular responses to bladder department evaluation, wide variations in blood distension in patients with spinal transection. AmJPhysiol1975; 228: 1288 ± 1292. pressure were recorded and preceded ventricular 8 Guttmann L, Frankel HL, Paeslack V. Cardiac irregularities ®brillation. These variations in blood pressure persisted during labor in paraplegic women. Paraplegia 1965; 3: 141 ± 151. throughout the initial hospitalization but subsequently 9 Forrest GP. Atrial ®brillation associated with autonomic returned to his baseline blood pressure. No