Issues in Evaluating Patients with Syncope

Excerpt

Recent studies have focused on the diagnosis of syncope and the prognosis for patients with this symptom (1-4). The usefulness of many diagnostic tests has been questioned, and subgroups of patients at high risk for sudden death are reported. These studies suggest that strategies for managing patients with syncope are required that stress cost-effective approaches but also recognize patients with a poor prognosis in order to ensure quality of care. A framework for such strategies is now being developed, although some areas of controversy remain.

Establishing a cause of syncope is frequently difficult. Studies using specific criteria for diagnosing causes