Autonomic dysreflexia management includes which action?

Autonomic dysreflexia management includes which action?

• A. Elevate the head of the bed
• B. Administer vasopressors
• C. Increase physical activity
• D. Eliminate the cause, such as relieving bladder distension or treating skin irritation

Answer: (D)

Autonomic dysreflexia is a life‑threatening reflex that occurs in people with high spinal cord injuries when a noxious stimulus below the level of injury triggers a sudden, excessive sympathetic response, causing a dangerous rise in blood pressure. The most important management step is to identify and eliminate the triggering stimulus. By relieving bladder distension, emptying the bowel, removing tight clothing, or treating skin irritation, you remove the source of the abnormal signaling that keeps driving the dangerous hypertension. Once the trigger is removed, you can then support blood pressure by positioning the patient upright to help lower pressure and monitor closely, addressing further needs as needed. Administering vasopressors would worsen the situation, and increasing physical activity would introduce more stimuli, so those are not appropriate primary actions. The emphasis is on stopping the trigger, which stops the reflex at its source.

Autonomic dysreflexia is a life‑threatening reflex that occurs in people with high spinal cord injuries when a noxious stimulus below the level of injury triggers a sudden, excessive sympathetic response, causing a dangerous rise in blood pressure. The most important management step is to identify and eliminate the triggering stimulus. By relieving bladder distension, emptying the bowel, removing tight clothing, or treating skin irritation, you remove the source of the abnormal signaling that keeps driving the dangerous hypertension. Once the trigger is removed, you can then support blood pressure by positioning the patient upright to help lower pressure and monitor closely, addressing further needs as needed. Administering vasopressors would worsen the situation, and increasing physical activity would introduce more stimuli, so those are not appropriate primary actions. The emphasis is on stopping the trigger, which stops the reflex at its source.