MS-3543

A 27-year-old male with a history of paraplegia, due to C5 spinal cord injury sustained 8 weeks prior, is currently admitted to an orthopaedic and spinal ward. One night, he wakes up in distress with a headache and diaphoresis above the level of his spinal cord injury. His blood pressure is currently 160/110 mmHg. It was recorded 2 hours ago as 110/70mmHg. His pulse rate is 50. The patient also has an indwelling catheter which was changed earlier today.

The healthcare provider on-call suspects that autonomic dysreflexia might be the cause of the patient’s symptoms.

What is the most common life-threatening outcome associated with this condition?