Oculocardiac Reflex in A 15-Year-Old With Orbital Fractures and Epidural Hematoma

The oculocardiac reflex has been well described in the literature and was first defined in 1908 by Aschner. The phenomenon involves the afferent limb of the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve as well as the efferent pathway involving the vagal nerve leading to negative chronotropic effects. It results in a decrease in heart rate and oftentimes a decrease in blood pressure associated with compression of the eye or traction of the extraocular muscles. This reflex has clinical significance in both the operating room during ophthalmic procedures and in the emergency department in patients having sustained craniofacial trauma. The typical dysrhythmia described in literature is sinus bradycardia. Our patient, however, had a ventricular escape rhythm with a complete left bundle branch block pattern.