Normalization of Blood Pressure With Spinal Cord Epidural Stimulation After Severe Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Chronic low blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension remain challenging clinical issues after severe spinal cord injury (SCI), affecting health, rehabilitation, and quality of life. We previously reported that targeted lumbosacral spinal cord epidural stimulation (scES) could promote stand and step functions and restore voluntary movement in patients with chronic motor complete SCI. This study addresses the effects of targeted scES for cardiovascular function (CV-scES) in individuals with severe SCI who suffer from chronic hypotension. We tested the hypothesis that CV-scES can increase resting blood pressure and attenuate chronic hypotension in individuals with chronic cervical SCI. Four research participants with chronic cervical SCI received an implant of a 16-electrode array on the dura (L1–S1 cord segments, T11–L1 vertebrae). Individual-specific CV-scES configurations (anode and cathode electrode selection, voltage, frequency, and pulse width) were identified to maintain systolic blood pressure within targeted normative ranges without skeletal muscle activity of the lower extremities as assessed by electromyography. These individuals completed five 2-h sessions using CV-scES in an upright, seated position during measurement of blood pressure and heart rate. Noninvasive continuous blood pressure was measured from a finger cuff by plethysmograph technique. For each research participant there were statistically significant increases in mean arterial pressure in response to CV-scES that was maintained within normative ranges. This result was reproducible over the five sessions with concomitant decreases or no changes in heart rate using individual-specific CV-scES that was modulated with modest amplitude changes throughout the session. Our study shows that stimulating dorsal lumbosacral spinal cord can effectively and safely activate mechanisms to elevate blood pressures to normal ranges from a chronic hypotensive state in humans with severe SCI with individual-specific CV-scES.

Cardiovascular Autonomic Dysfunction in Spinal Cord Injury: Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Management

“…[126][127][128][129][130][131][132] During the course of some of these initial studies to restore stepping and standing using lumbosacral scES in motor complete humans, investigators discovered that individuals with cardiovascular dysfunction showed increases in SBP with stimulation. [133][134][135] This response also allowed upright standing by ameliorating orthostatic hypotension. Further study identified specific cardiovascular-targeted scES configurations (CV-scES, L1-S4/5 spinal cord) that did not elicit motor activity and maintained SBP within a normal range during orthostatic stress.…”

“…Further study identified specific cardiovascular-targeted scES configurations (CV-scES, L1-S4/5 spinal cord) that did not elicit motor activity and maintained SBP within a normal range during orthostatic stress. 135 Importantly, orthostatic blood pressure was maintained after eighty sessions of CV-scES in four participants, even with the stimulator turned off ( ►Fig. 2).…”

Emergence of Epidural Electrical Stimulation to Facilitate Sensorimotor Network Functionality After Spinal Cord Injury

“…Orthostatic hypotension is a common problem in individuals with a SCI . EES directed at improving cardiovascular function in individuals with SCI demonstrated elevation and maintenance of mean arterial pressures to normative ranges across sessions and subjects . In addition, the use of EES with rehabilitation showed improvements in body composition such as lean body mass with decreases in percentage of body fat, particularly android body fat, and android/gynoid ratios when compared to baseline values .…”

2018 Yearbook of Neurorestoratology

“…Implanted electrodes for electrical stimulation with intensive neurorehabilitation could partially restored standing and walking abilities in patients with complete chronic SCI [42,43]. In such cases, improved reflexive voiding efficiency [44], enhanced cardiovascular fitness and body composition [45], better neurological recovery [46] that supported the activities of daily living [47], and reduced that elevated blood pressures to normal ranges from a chronic hypotensive state [48] were observed.…”