title: [Cardiac arrest in a 10-month-old boy with  spinal cord injury].
abstract: A 10-month-old boy with a previous upper spinal cord injury was  admitted to hospital with acute respiratory and circulatory distress.  Shortly after admission the boy had severe bradycardia leading to  asystolia and pulseless electrical activity. He was successfully  resuscitated, and the investigation that followed excluded infection,  congenital heart defect, arrhythmia and cerebral haemorrhage. Over  the following days the patient had several episodes of isolated  bradycardia and combined bradycardia and hypotension. It was concluded  that the patient suffered from autonomic dysreflexia, triggered  by a distended urinary bladder. He was treated with intermittent  catheterization and a permanent pacemaker, and after 12 months there  have not been any symptomatic episodes or registered arrhythmias. Autonomic dysreflexia is a common and well known complication  of spinal cord injury above Th6, but the literature on paediatric patients  is scarce. Our case report presents an infant with an atypical and  severe episode of autonomic dysreflexia. Patients with spinal cord  injury, their caregivers and health-care personal should be aware  of this complication of spinal cord injury, in order to prevent and  treat autonomic dysreflexia properly and avoid potentially fatal  episodes.
authors.affiliation: Barneklinikken, og Institutt for samfunnsmedisinske fag, Universitetet i Bergen. havard.tronnes@isf.uib.no
authors.forename: Håvard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Trønnes
authors.forename: Ansgar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berg
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D020211:Autonomic Dysreflexia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D001919:Bradycardia / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D057928:Intermittent Urethral Catheterization; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D001750:Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy