Beneficial Cardiac Structural and Functional Adaptations After Lumbosacral Spinal Cord Epidural Stimulation and Task-Specific Interventions: A Pilot Study.

ABSTRACT: Cardiac myocyte atrophy and the resulting decreases to the left ventricular mass and dimensions are well documented in spinal cord injury. Therapeutic interventions that increase preload can increase the chamber size and improve the diastolic filling ratios; however, there are no data describing cardiac adaptation to chronic afterload increases. Research from our center has demonstrated that spinal cord epidural stimulation (scES) can normalize arterial blood pressure, so we decided to investigate the effects of scES on cardiac function using echocardiography. Four individuals with chronic, motor-complete cervical spinal cord injury were implanted with a stimulator over the lumbosacral enlargement. We assessed the cardiac structure and function at the following time points: (a) prior to im

SUBMITTER: Legg Ditterline BE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7643015 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature