Methods

A key word literature search for scientific articles published from January 1, 1990 to August 31, 2018 investigating acute cardiovascular complications following spinal cord injury was conducted using the following online databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, EMBASE and Cochrane Library. Population key words (i.e., spinal cord injury, paraplegia, tetraplegia, and quadriplegia) and cardiovascular complication key words (i.e., neurogenic shock, bradycardia, arterial hypotension, orthostatic hypotension, and cardiovascular dysfunction) were used in combination. The search was limited to English publications that were either journal articles, reviews or systematic reviews (excluding case reports) with at least three adults (≥18 years) with spinal cord injury. More than 50% of participants included in the study had to have spinal cord injuries, unless the results were stratified. It should be noted that articles were considered suitable for inclusion in this chapter if all, or the majority of, participants in each study were approximately within 3 months of sustaining a SCI.