BACKGROUND Syncope is a common clinical problem which can be remarkably debilitating and associated with high health care costs. Syncope is a clinical syndrome with many potential causes. The aim of the study was to determine the etiologies of patients with syncope in the emergency department (ED) of a referral and general university hospital. METHODS One hundred sixty-five consecutive patien...

UNLABELLED The investigation of unexplained syncope remains a challenging clinical problem. In the present study we sought to evaluate the diagnostic value of a standardized work-up focusing on non invasive tests in patients with unexplained syncope referred to a syncope clinic, and whether certain combinations of clinical parameters are characteristic of rhythmic and reflex causes of syncope. ...

AIMS Our goal was to develop historical criteria for the diagnosis of vasovagal syncope. METHODS AND RESULTS We administered a 118-item historical questionnaire to 418 patients with syncope and no apparent structural heart disease. The prevalence of each item was compared between patients with positive tilt tests and those with syncope of other, known causes. The contributions of symptoms to ...

Syncope is a common medical problem, which accounts for 3.5% of emergency room visits. It includes diverse clinical etiologies, from cardiac origin with poor prognosis to reflex-mediated hypotension with benign clinical course. Trauma is not rare in patients with syncope, e.g. bruises or lacerations on the head and face were recognized in 17%. Accordingly, patients presenting with syncope may h...

BACKGROUND We aimed to develop and test a literature-based model for symptoms that associate with cardiac causes of syncope. METHODS AND RESULTS Seven studies (the derivation sample) reporting ≥2 predictors of cardiac syncope were identified (4 Italian, 1 Swiss, 1 Canadian, and 1 from the United States). From these, 10 criteria were identified as diagnostic predictors. The conditional probabi...

and Introduction Introduction Syncope or near-syncope spells are a relatively common occurrence in older children and adolescents. It has been estimated that 15–30% of adolescents will have at least one episode of syncope before reaching adulthood, with approximately half having multiple episodes. Orthostatic intolerance, recurrent syncope or near-syncope when rising from a seated or lying posi...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We sought to determine whether the introduction of EEG monitoring during head-up tilt testing could significantly improve the understanding of the cerebral events occurring during tilt-induced vasovagal syncope and the potential danger to the patient of this diagnostic procedure. METHODS EEG monitoring was performed during head-up tilt testing in a group of 63 consecuti...

STUDY OBJECTIVES There is limited evidence to guide the emergency department (ED) evaluation and management of syncope. The First International Workshop on Syncope Risk Stratification in the Emergency Department identified key research questions and methodological standards essential to advancing the science of ED-based syncope research. METHODS We recruited a multinational panel of syncope e...

Though relatively common, syncope is a complex presenting symptom defined by a transient loss of consciousness, usually accompanied by falling, and with spontaneous recovery. Syncope must be carefully differentiated from other conditions that may cause a loss of consciousness or falling. Syncope can be classified into four categories: reflex mediated, cardiac, orthostatic, and cerebrovascular. ...

OBJECTIVE Although the prognostic value of syncope has not been specifically addressed, it has generally been considered an indicator of poor prognosis in pulmonary embolism. The objective of this study was to carry out a prospective evaluation of the risk of recurrence and/or death in patients with pulmonary embolism that presents with syncope. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 168 patients ha...