Correlation of cardiac arrhythmias with brainstem compression in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage

Neurogenically caused cardiac arrhythmias and their correlation to lesions within the central nervous system were examined prospectively in 54 patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. All patients were examined neurologically daily for 3 weeks, with special attention given to signs of bra...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Stroke (1970) 1988-06, Vol.19 (6), p.688-692
Main Authors: STOBER, T, SEN, S, ANSTÄTT, T, BETTE, L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Arrhythmias, Cardiac - complications
Arrhythmias, Cardiac - diagnosis
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Diseases - complications
Brain Diseases - diagnosis
Brain Diseases - etiology
Brain Stem
Cerebral Hemorrhage - complications
Cerebral Hemorrhage - diagnosis
Encephalocele - complications
Humans
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Neurology
Prospective Studies
Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system
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Summary:Neurogenically caused cardiac arrhythmias and their correlation to lesions within the central nervous system were examined prospectively in 54 patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. All patients were examined neurologically daily for 3 weeks, with special attention given to signs of brainstem compression resulting from transtentorial herniation. Electrocardiograms were continuously recorded over an average of 5 days. A significant correlation was established between the clinical manifestations of brainstem compression and sinus arrhythmias, multifocal premature ventricular contractions, couplets, and ventricular tachycardias. An explanation for this correlation may be found in the localization of the autonomous cardiovascular centers in the hypothalamus and brainstem. Transtentorial herniation frequently leads to a bilateral lesion of these structures. However, the cardiac arrhythmias are only a partial phenomenon within a complex cardiovascular reaction.
ISSN:0039-2499
1524-4628
DOI:10.1161/01.STR.19.6.688