Approach to syncope in the emergency department
- PMID: 30470687
- DOI: 10.1136/emermed-2018-207767
Approach to syncope in the emergency department
Abstract
Syncope is a common reason for ED attendance and it presents a major management challenge with regard to the appropriate workup and disposition. Nearly 50% of patients are admitted, and for many this is unnecessary; clinical decision rules have not proven to decrease unnecessary admissions. The European Society of Cardiology has recently developed guidance for managing syncope in the ED. This article highlights the key steps in evaluating syncope in the ED, factors involved in determining risk of a cardiac cause, and considerations for admission, observation or discharge.
Keywords: cardiac care, diagnosis; emergency department.
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
Conflict of interest statement
Competing interests: MJR was a Task Force member for the diagnosis and management of syncope guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) published in March 2018. MJR has been supplied with Zio XT monitors and ECG analysis services free of charge for research purposes from iRhythm Technologies between 2015 and 2017. MJR has received funds for consultation from Medtronic in 2018. The Emergency Medicine Research Group Edinburgh has received sponsorship for the EMERGE10 conference in 2018 from various companies including Medtronic, AliveCor and iRhythm Technologies.
