[Hemodynamic and respiratory function following acute spinal cord injury (author's transl)]

Twenty two cases of the cervical and thoracic cord injury were studied to determine hemodynamic and respiratory function within 7 days from the injury. Most patients showed a tendency of bradycardia and hypotension on admission which were more remarkable in the group of lower cervical cord or the upper thoracic cord lesion than the upper cervical cord group. Such a hypotension and bradycardia tended to recover within 7 days. In cervical cord injury, cardiac output remained unchanged, which indicated that initial hypotension was due to decreased total peripheral resistance. Respiratory rate was slightly increased in most patients, but did'nt show any significant difference among the level of the lesion. PaO2 and PaCO2 were within normal range on admission, however PaO2 decreased gradually in 7 days only in cervical cord injury. Increased pulmonary arterial pressure was confirmed during the above hypoxemic period. It suggests that disturbance of neurological control of pulmonary circulation might play a significant role in the respiratory insufficiency of cervical cord injury.