Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026

In Vivo Telemetry to Record Long-Term Cardiovascular Parameters, Temperature, and Activity in Spinal Cord Injury Rat Models
Published on: January 2, 2026
Cardiac arrhythmias associated with spinal cord injury
Sven Magnus Hector1, Tor Biering-Sørensen2, Andrei Krassioukov3
1Clinic for Spinal Cord Injuries, Glostrup University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Context/Objectives:
To review the current literature to reveal the incidence of cardiac arrhythmias and its relation to spinal cord injury (SCI).
Data Source:
MEDLINE database, 304 hits, and 32 articles were found to be relevant. The relevant articles all met the inclusion criteria: (1) contained original data (2) on cardiac arrhythmias (3) in humans with (4) traumatic SCI.
Results:
In the acute phase of SCI (1-14 days after injury) more cranial as well as more severe injuries seemed to increase the incidence of bradycardia. Articles not covering the first 14 days after injury, thus describing the chronic phase of SCI, showed that individuals with SCI did not have a higher incidence of cardiac arrhythmias compared with able-bodied controls. Furthermore, their heart rate did not differ significantly. Penile vibro-stimulation was the procedure investigated most likely to cause bradycardia, which in turn was associated with episodes of autonomic dysreflexia. The incidence of bradycardia was found to be 17-77% for individuals with cervical SCI. For individuals with thoracolumbar SCI, the incidence was 0-13%.
Conclusion:
Bradycardia was commonly seen in the acute stage after SCI as well as during procedures such as penile vibro-stimulation and tracheal suction. These episodes of bradycardia were seen more often in individuals with cervical injuries. Longitudinal studies with continuous electrocardiogram recordings are needed to uncover the true relation between cardiac arrhythmias and SCI.
More Related Videos
06:51Development of an Algorithm to Perform a Comprehensive Study of Autonomic Dysreflexia in Animals with High Spinal Cord Injury Using a Telemetry Device
Published on: July 29, 2016
07:59A Radio-telemetric System to Monitor Cardiovascular Function in Rats with Spinal Cord Transection and Embryonic Neural Stem Cell Grafts
Published on: October 7, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Mechanism of Cardiac Arrhythmias
Secondary Spinal Cord Injury llI: Pathophysiology
Disturbances in Heart Rhythm
Arrhythmias are categorized by their speed, rhythm, and origin. A slow heart...
Dysrhythmias IV: Characteristics of Bradyarrhythmias
Spinal Cord Injury ll: Pathophysiology
ECG Interpretation of Arrhythmias I: Sinus Arrhythmias
Types of Arrhythmias
Sinus Node Arrhythmias
Sinus Bradycardia: Originating from the sinoatrial (SA) node, sinus bradycardia involves slower impulses, resulting in a heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute (bpm). Causes include sleep, vagal stimulation, beta-blockers, hypothyroidism, and...