Open AccessEpidural stimulation with locomotor training ameliorates unstable blood pressure after tetraplegia. A case report
Author(s) -
Gorgey Ashraf S.,
Sutor Tommy W.,
Goldsmith Jacob A.,
Ennasr Areej N.,
Lavis Timothy D.,
Cifu David X.,
Trainer Robert
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
annals of clinical and translational neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.824
H-Index - 42
ISSN - 2328-9503
DOI - 10.1002/acn3.51508
Subject(s) - medicine , tetraplegia , blood pressure , anesthesia , stimulation , orthostatic vital signs , spinal cord injury , physical therapy , cardiology , spinal cord , psychiatry
A male with C7 complete tetraplegia participated in 14 weeks of body weight supported treadmill training (BWSTT) combined with spinal cord epidural stimulation (SCES), 4 weeks of no intervention, and two more weeks of BWSTT + SCES. The participant presented with unstable resting seated blood pressure (BP; 131/66 mmHg). After retrospective analysis, resting systolic BP decreased and diastolic BP increased, yielding a safe mean arterial BP. There was a fivefold increase in BWSTT bouts per session, and percentage of body weight support decreased to 69%. BWSTT + SCES safely and effectively regulated resting BP and mitigated symptoms of orthostatic intolerance. These effects were not maintained after 4 weeks without training.