Syncope during exercise, documented with continuous blood pressure monitoring during ergometer testing

Abstract

A 27-year old female had one episode of transient loss of consciousness and several of near-unconsciousness during strenuous exercise and sexual activity. Episodes started with abdominal discomfort or nausea and light headedness. Unconsciousness never exceeded one minute. When trying to stand up, she felt she would lose consciousness again. We performed a bicycle ergometer exercise test, continuously monitoring blood pressure via non-invasive finger photoplethysmography (Finometer, FMS, The Netherlands). Beat-to-beat changes in stroke volume, cardiac output and total peripheral resistance were calculated using Modelflow (FMS, The Netherlands). At a power of 140 W, the patient reported being near exhaustion; shortly after this she reported nausea. She stopped cycling 30 s later, then saw "black spots" and felt an oncoming loss of consciousness. Dismounting the ergometer and squatting provided immediate relief from symptoms. Symptoms during the test were similar to those during previous episodes. The diagnosis was exercise-induced vasovagal reactions. This is the first report that documents the beat-to-beat changes in blood pressure, stroke volume and total peripheral resistance during exercise-induced vasovagal syncope. It illustrates the usefulness of combining exercise testing with continuous non-invasive blood pressure monitoring in the diagnostic work-up of exercise-induced syncope, and shows the therapeutic value of squatting to prevent loss of consciousness in exercise-related vasovagal syncope.