What is the Brewer-Luckhardt reflex?
A. Bradycardia in response to vagal stimulation
B. Hypotension in response to carotid massage
C. Glottic closure in response to anal/cervical stimulation
D. Hypertension in response to decreased cerebral blood flow.
The answer is C.
This is especially important in pediatrics. This may seem esoteric, but it is an important knowledge point. Only really mentioned in old textbooks. Essentially they describe glottic closure from a surgical stimulus. This is important for some of our "straight forward" cases. This reflex may explain the high incidence of laryngospasm from circumcisions and anoplasty. Just a thought. Enjoy.