Syncope: Electrocardiographic and Clinical Correlation

Andrea Ungar; Martina Rafanelli

doi:10.1016/j.ccep.2018.02.007

Syncope: Electrocardiographic and Clinical Correlation

Card Electrophysiol Clin. 2018 Jun;10(2):371-386. doi: 10.1016/j.ccep.2018.02.007.

Authors

Andrea Ungar¹, Martina Rafanelli²

Affiliations

¹ Syncope Unit, Geriatrics and Intensive Care Unit, University of Florence, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, Viale Pieraccini 6, Florence 50139, Italy. Electronic address: aungar@unifi.it.
² Syncope Unit, Geriatrics and Intensive Care Unit, University of Florence, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Careggi, Viale Pieraccini 6, Florence 50139, Italy.

PMID: 29784489
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccep.2018.02.007

Abstract

Syncope is a frequent condition, owing to a transient global cerebral hypoperfusion, that may depend on a reduction of vascular total peripheral resistance and/or cardiac output. Cardiac syncope doubled the risk of death from any cause and increased the risk of nonfatal and fatal cardiovascular events. Arrhythmias are the most common cardiac causes of syncope. Both bradyarrhythmias and tachyarrhythmias may predispose to syncope. The first line evaluation relies on clinical history, physical examination, active standing test, 12-lead echocardiogram. The diagnostic yield of electrophysiological study in detecting the cause of syncope depends highly on the pretest probability.

Keywords: Arrhythmias; Electrocardiogram; Syncope.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Arrhythmias, Cardiac / complications*
Arrhythmias, Cardiac / diagnosis
Arrhythmias, Cardiac / physiopathology
Diagnosis, Differential
Echocardiography*
Electrocardiography*
Humans
Syncope* / diagnosis
Syncope* / etiology
Syncope* / physiopathology