From the Department of Neurosurgery, Mashhad University o/Medical Sciences. P.O. Box 91375-3983.
Abstract: (5668 Views)
This study briefly reviews the heart abnormalities in diverse intracranial pathologies,
including strokes, spontaneous and traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracranial
hemorrhage, and presents the results of a one-year prospective study of
heart abnormalities in patients with moderate to severe head injuries and subarachnoid
hemorrhage. Different abnormalities such as: QT -interval, T -waves, U-waves, QRS complex,
ST-Segment, arterial and ventricular flutter and PAC, heart arrhythmia, angina
pectoris and blood pressure changes were recorded and analyzed. The most
common electrocardiographic change was ST -segment depression (67%).
This report tries to identify a rational relationship among the severity of head injury,
site of lesion and level of consciousness at the time of admission, different surgical
procedures, site of operation, prognosis and cardiac abnormalities. The presence of
the complete pathway for sympathetic outflow from the orbital-frontal cortex to the
limbic system via stellate ganglia to the heart is also discussed.
In conclusion cardiac abnormalities can greatly increase the morbidity and mortality
of patients with intracranial pathologies. Emphasis is made on timely prevention and
treatment of cardiac abnormalities preferably by stabilization of homeostasis of the
brain condition by medical and surgical techniques anti-arrhythmic drugs should be
avoided unless strongly indicated. Obviously ventricular flutter and fibrillation must be
treated with countershock and anti-arrhythmic drugs.