Key result
Cardiac autonomic assessment after spinal cord injury should be performed during an autonomic challenge, as resting measures may falsely appear normal despite underlying impairment.
Why the study?
Does cardiac autonomic assessment during an autonomic challenge compared to resting measures more accurately detect impaired cardiac autonomic control in individuals with spinal cord injury?
Does cardiac autonomic assessment during an autonomic challenge compared to resting measures more accurately detect impaired cardiac autonomic control in individuals with spinal cord injury?
Cardiac autonomic function in spinal cord injury patients should be assessed during an autonomic challenge rather than at rest to avoid false normal interpretations.
This "Perspectives" article puts forward the notion that measuring heart rate variability, or other forms of cardiac autonomic regulation, after spinal cord injury must be performed during a test of autonomic stress. Resting values of heart rate variability are often similar to those obtained from able-bodied individuals, which may therefore be falsely interpreted as normal or healthy autonomic regulation. However, evidence shows that despite normal resting values, cardiac autonomic control is impaired when individual with spinal cord injury are subjected to a cold face test, head-up tilt, or recovery from exercise. Accordingly, examination of cardiac autonomic function must be performed during an autonomic challenge, as resting measures do not accurately reflect the state of cardiovascular regulation after spinal cord injury and can provide false information.
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Sharif et al. (2018) conducted an editorial in Spinal cord injury. Cardiac autonomic assessment during autonomic stress vs. Resting measures was evaluated. Cardiac autonomic assessment after spinal cord injury should be performed during an autonomic challenge, as resting measures may falsely appear normal despite underlying impairment.
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