Syncope

Abstract

Syncope is a common presenting complaint in the emergency department, accounting for approximately 1 to 3% of presentations and up to 6% of admissions. Syncope is properly defined as a brief loss of consciousness and postural tone followed by spontaneous and complete recovery. Often syncope must be distinguished from other etiologies of transient loss of consciousness, such as seizures and hypoglycemia. Comprehension of the pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and prognosis of the varied causes of syncope is essential if emergency physicians are to succeed in identifying patients at risk for adverse events while also reducing unnecessary syncope admissions. This review covers the pathophysiology, stabilization and assessment, diagnosis and treatment, and disposition and outcomes of syncope. Figures show heart block, prolonged QTc and torsades de pointes, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, and Brugada syndrome. This review contains 6 figures, 18 tables, and 58 references. Keywords: Syncope, near-syncope, pre-syncope, arrhythmia, dysrhythmia, sudden cardiac death, vasovagal, passing out, neurocardiogenic