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Observation
February 7, 2019

Oculorespiratory Reflex During Repair of an Orbital Fracture

Author Affiliations
  • 1Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri
  • 2Division of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri
JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019;145(3):290-291. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2018.4056

The oculocardiac reflex is a well-known physiologic phenomenon in which traction to the extraocular muscles or compression of the globe causes a depression in heart rate—the afferent limb of the reflex is the trigeminal nerve and the efferent limb consists of the vagal nerve and parasympathetic nervous system. A less commonly reported phenomenon is the oculorespiratory reflex.1 We present a case of suspected oculorespiratory reflex affecting intraoperative ventilation in a patient undergoing repair of an orbital floor fracture.

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