Cardiovascular Responses to Vibrostimulation for Sperm Retrieval in Men with Spinal Cord Injury

Overview

Journal J Spinal Cord Med

Date 2006 Jul 25

PMID 16859224

Citations 24

Authors

Victoria Elizabeth Claydon

Stacy Lorraine Elliott

Andrew William Sheel

Andrei Krassioukov

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background/objective: Cardiovascular abnormalities and arrhythmias are common in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) who are undergoing vibrostimulation for sperm retrieval. The study aimed to examine cardiovascular control in men with SCI undergoing this procedure.

Methods: Individuals with chronic cervical (n=8; age: 33.1 +/- 1.9 years) and upper thoracic SCI (n=5; age: 35.2 +/- 2.9 years) volunteered for vibrostimulation, with continuous blood pressure (Finometer) and electrocardiographic monitoring. Patients were characterized further by sympathetic skin responses (SSR) to assess descending autonomic spinal pathways and American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) scores to assess motor and sensory pathways.

Results: All but one subject with cervical SCI were ASIA A or B and were negative for SSR in the hands and feet. All subjects with upper thoracic SCI were ASIA A or B and were positive for SSR in the hands. Systolic blood pressure was lower in men with cervical injury at rest. Vibrostimulation induced an increase in systolic blood pressure >20 mmHg in all patients with cervical SCI (range = 125/65 - 280/152; median = 167/143 mmHg) and in 2 thoracic subjects (151/104 and 170/121 mmHg). During ejaculation, 6 cervical and 3 thoracic subjects developed arrhythmias (5 with bradycardia, 6 with premature atrial contractions, 4 with ventricular excitation, 1 with junctional rhythm, and 1 with heart block).

Conclusion: The vibrostimulation procedure induced electrocardiographic abnormalities and autonomic dysreflexia in subjects with either cervical or high thoracic SCI.

Citing Articles

Dysreflexic dilemma: do we need a revised definition for autonomic dysreflexia?.

Sober-Williams E, Lucci V, McBride C, Willms R, Solinsky R, Mathias C Clin Auton Res. 2024; .

PMID: 39572481 DOI: 10.1007/s10286-024-01078-5.

Autonomic dysreflexia in urological practice: pathophysiology, prevention and treatment considerations.

Calderon-Juarez M, Samejima S, Rempel L, Sachdeva R, Krassioukov A World J Urol. 2024; 42(1):80.

PMID: 38358540 DOI: 10.1007/s00345-024-04781-0.

Automatic Detection and Characterization of Autonomic Dysreflexia Using Multi-Modal Non-Invasive Sensing and Neural Networks.

Suresh S, Everett 4th T, Shi R, Duerstock B Neurotrauma Rep. 2022; 3(1):501-510.

PMID: 36479362 PMC: 9718431. DOI: 10.1089/neur.2022.0041.

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular responses to urodynamics testing after spinal cord injury: The influence of autonomic injury.

Sahota I, Lucci V, McGrath M, Ravensbergen H, Claydon V Front Physiol. 2022; 13:977772.

PMID: 36187786 PMC: 9525190. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.977772.

The susceptibility of cardiac arrhythmias after spinal cord crush injury in rats.

Fernandes S, Oatman E, Weinberger J, Dixon A, Osei-Owusu P, Hou S Exp Neurol. 2022; 357:114200.

PMID: 35952765 PMC: 9801389. DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114200.

References

Courtois F, Geoffrion R, Landry E, Belanger M . H-reflex and physiologic measures of ejaculation in men with spinal cord injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2004; 85(6):910-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2003.05.003. View

Morshedi-Meibodi A, Evans J, Levy D, Larson M, Vasan R . Clinical correlates and prognostic significance of exercise-induced ventricular premature beats in the community: the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. 2004; 109(20):2417-22. DOI: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000129762.41889.41. View

Pan S, Wang Y, Lin H, Chang C, Wu T, Hsieh E . Intracerebral hemorrhage secondary to autonomic dysreflexia in a young person with incomplete C8 tetraplegia: A case report. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005; 86(3):591-3. DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2004.03.021. View

Garshick E, Kelley A, Cohen S, Garrison A, Tun C, Gagnon D . A prospective assessment of mortality in chronic spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord. 2005; 43(7):408-16. PMC: 1298182. DOI: 10.1038/sj.sc.3101729. View

Sheel A, Krassioukov A, Inglis J, Elliott S . Autonomic dysreflexia during sperm retrieval in spinal cord injury: influence of lesion level and sildenafil citrate. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2005; 99(1):53-8. DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00154.2005. View

Marino R, Barros T, Biering-Sorensen F, Burns S, Donovan W, Graves D . International standards for neurological classification of spinal cord injury. J Spinal Cord Med. 2005; 26 Suppl 1:S50-6. DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2003.11754575. View

Ellaway P, Anand P, Bergstrom E, Catley M, Davey N, Frankel H . Towards improved clinical and physiological assessments of recovery in spinal cord injury: a clinical initiative. Spinal Cord. 2004; 42(6):325-37. DOI: 10.1038/sj.sc.3101596. View

Ogura T, Kubo T, Lee K, Katayama Y, Kira Y, Aramaki S . Sympathetic skin response in patients with spinal cord injury. J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong). 2004; 12(1):35-9. DOI: 10.1177/230949900401200108. View

Guttmann L, Frankel H, PAESLACK V . Cardiac irregularities during labour in paraplegic women. Paraplegia. 1965; 3(2):144-51. DOI: 10.1038/sc.1965.14. View

10.

BANERJEA B, Sen S . Electrocardiographic study of the effect of masturbation normal individuals. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1976; 20(4):226-30. View

11.

Boyd G . Stress and disease: the missing link. A vasospastic theory. II. The nature of degenerative arterial disease. Med Hypotheses. 1978; 4(5):420-31. DOI: 10.1016/0306-9877(78)90013-0. View

12.

Frankel H, Mathias C . Severe hypertension in patients with high spinal cord lesions undergoing electro-ejaculation--management with prostaglandin E2. Paraplegia. 1980; 18(5):293-9. DOI: 10.1038/sc.1980.52. View

13.

Lehmann K, Shandling A, Yusi A, Froelicher V . Altered ventricular repolarization in central sympathetic dysfunction associated with spinal cord injury. Am J Cardiol. 1989; 63(20):1498-504. DOI: 10.1016/0002-9149(89)90015-5. View

14.

Silbert P, Davis J . Late asystole in high cervical spinal cord injury: case report. Paraplegia. 1990; 28(2):137-40. DOI: 10.1038/sc.1990.16. View

15.

Forrest G . Atrial fibrillation associated with autonomic dysreflexia in patients with tetraplegia. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1991; 72(8):592-4. View

16.

Pine Z, Miller S, Alonso J . Atrial fibrillation associated with autonomic dysreflexia. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 1991; 70(5):271-3. DOI: 10.1097/00002060-199110000-00008. View

17.

Linsenmeyer T, Perkash I . Infertility in men with spinal cord injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1991; 72(10):747-54. View

18.

DeVivo M, Stover S, Black K . Prognostic factors for 12-year survival after spinal cord injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1992; 73(2):156-62. View

19.

Krum H, Howes L, Brown D, Ungar G, Moore P, McNeil J . Risk factors for cardiovascular disease in chronic spinal cord injury patients. Paraplegia. 1992; 30(6):381-8. DOI: 10.1038/sc.1992.87. View

20.

Leaf D, Bahl R, Adkins R . Risk of cardiac dysrhythmias in chronic spinal cord injury patients. Paraplegia. 1993; 31(9):571-5. DOI: 10.1038/sc.1993.92. View