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Neurogenic Cardiac Injury

Nader M. Banki1, Jonathan G. Zaroff

  • 1UCSF Medical Center, Division of Cardiology, 505 Parnassus Avenue, M1177, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. zaroff@medicine.ucsf.edu

Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine
|October 25, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) can cause cardiac injury, but this damage is often reversible. Prioritize treating the brain injury, as cardiac function may improve.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Cardiology
  • Neurocritical Care

Background:

  • Cardiac injury is a known complication of various brain injuries.
  • Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a frequently studied cause of neurocardiogenic injury.
  • Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and elevated troponin levels are common in SAH patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of cardiac evaluation in patients with SAH.
  • To determine the prognostic and therapeutic value of echocardiography in SAH.
  • To assess the necessity of cardiac catheterization in SAH patients with cardiac dysfunction.

Main Methods:

  • Echocardiography for prognostication and treatment guidance when LV dysfunction or elevated troponin is present.
  • Clinical assessment focusing on the primary neurological condition.
  • Cardiac evaluation in brain death cases to potentially expand the donor pool.

Main Results:

  • Echocardiography can aid in prognostication and treatment planning for SAH.
  • Cardiac catheterization is not routinely recommended for SAH patients with LV dysfunction and elevated troponin.
  • Cardiac injury following SAH is generally reversible.
  • Cardiac evaluation in brain death may increase organ donor availability.

Conclusions:

  • Treatment of the underlying neurological condition is paramount in SAH patients, even with coexisting LV dysfunction.
  • Cardiac dysfunction associated with SAH is typically reversible.
  • Cardiac assessment in brain death scenarios can benefit organ donation efforts.

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