Syncope

First, I wanted to thank you guys for being so excellent at resident report and participating with such vigor….that is what we (the Chiefs) live for!

• the best predictor for a cardiac cause for syncope in a patient with suspected/certain heart disease is the presence of the underlying cardiac dx
• the best predictor for a cardiac cause for syncope in a patient with nosuspected/diagnosed cardiac dx is palpitations right before the syncopal episode
• prevalence of injuries and incontinence is the same is similar in all different etio for syncope and does not help elicit the cause

Here are a couple of articles (click the link, sign-in to Kerberos and click on the article:

• JACC – Diagnostic Value of History in Patients With Syncope With or Without Heart Disease