Cardiovascular and Respiratory: Interventions

Epidural stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord can be used to increase blood pressure in individuals with severe spinal cord injury. Configuration of the electrode array can be modified to specifically target in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, with modest decreases to heart rate. Once a configuration is found, individuals have the ability to utilize the stimulation in their home to maintain systolic blood pressure within a normative range (usually 105 mmHg to 120 mmHg). Cardiovascular effects last while the stimulator is being used, and the increases in blood pressure are repeatable from day-to-day.