Rationale for a rapid access blackouts triage clinic

Abstract

Patients with ‘Clapse?cause’ are common in emergency care in the UK. ‘Collapse’ refers to patients who have suffered an abrupt loss of postural control. Collapse is not synonymous with loss of consciousness, though loss of consciousness commonly results in collapse. Collapse due to transient loss of consciousness (T-LOC) is referred to by patients as a ‘blackout’. The three common causes of blackouts/T-LOC are syncope, epilepsy or psychogenic blackouts. Among these, syncope is much the most prevalent. Problems have been identified in the care of patients with T-LOC/blackouts. The Manchester Rapid Access Blackouts Triage Clinic aims to address these. This article deals with the rationale behind this clinic.