Autonomic Dysreflexia Severity between Urodynamics and Cystoscopy in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury above T6

Abstract

Objective: The objective is to evaluate autonomic dysreflexia (AD) severity between urodynamics and cystoscopy in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) above thoracic 6 (T6). Design: It is a cross-sectional survey. Subject and methods: The study was carried out in 22 patients with SCI above T6 who underwent both procedures of urodynamics and cystoscopy; all patients developed episodes of AD. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured and recorded at the beginning and during the various stages of the two examinations. AD was defined as a rise in SBP above 20 mm Hg. Results: There was no significant difference in SBP and DBP at baseline before urodynamics and cystoscopy. Both urodynamics and cystoscopy triggered episodes of AD. The volume of water instilled during cystoscopy was typically standard and smaller (150 mL) in comparison with urodynamics, where volume varied depending on cystometric bladder capacity (the mean bladder volume in our study was 234.86 ± 139.06 mL). The SBP was significantly different between cystoscopy and urodynamics (49.23 ± 23.07 mm Hg and 35.14 ± 15.75 mm Hg, respectively; P = 0.023). Conclusions: Although bladder distension during cystoscopy was less than that in urodynamics, the severity of AD was more pronounced during cystoscopy. It is recommended that monitoring of cardiovascular parameters during these procedures should be routinely performed.

Situation-Specific Theory from Autonomic Dysreflexia Nursing Diagnosis Based on Roy’s Adaptation Model

“…Although up to 88% of patients with AD present headaches and profuse sweating above the lesion (10), it is possible that some people experience an elevation of blood pressure without any associated symptoms (35). In such cases, the nurse could lose valuable time identifying noxious stimuli and even suspect AD only until the person presents severe sequelae.…”