Effects of stellate ganglion blockade on pulmonary artery pressure and sympathetic baroreflex function at high altitude: a case study in treated hypertension.
Qudus A Ojikutu, Jenna C McCrone, Christabel Osei-Boateng et al.
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Case in brief
A 44-year-old man with treated hypertension underwent physiological assessment at sea level and after 5–8 days at 3,800 m. High-altitude exposure was accompanied by increases in pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP), muscle sympathetic nerve activity, blood pressure, and blood-pressure variability. During altitude exposure, right-sided ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion blockade reduced PASP, while PASP did not meaningfully change at subsequent time-control visits. Blood-pressure variability was lower after blockade than during control visits, and sympathetic baroreflex and carotid mechanical measures also differed.
What made this case unusual
The case assessed unilateral stellate ganglion blockade during sustained high-altitude exposure in a person with treated hypertension, linking a reduction in PASP with changes in sympathetic baroreflex regulation and carotid pressure–diameter behavior.
Diagnostic / clinical pearl
In this individual, high-altitude exposure increased PASP and sympathetic activity, while stellate ganglion blockade was associated with lower PASP and altered baroreflex measures; these physiological findings should be interpreted as observations from a single case.