EmergencyPedia - January 28, 2014
"Syncope is common accounting for about 1 in 50 of Emergency Department (ED) presentations. It is recurrent in in 30% of patients and is characterised by a ‘Brief loss of consciousness that resolves without intervention’.
In order to fit the definition of Syncope the episode has to be:
- Brief (no ‘set time’ but there should be no prolonged period of loss of consciousness or confusion)
- Transient (there needs to be a complete and spontaneous recovery)
Common Diagnoses – Cardiac (Primary) 10-15%, Neurovascular 10-15%, Vasovagal 30%, Unknown Cause (Majority).
In true Syncope the important ‘rule out’ conditions to consider are generally“Cardiac” rather than Neurological. ‘Stroke’ and other neurological problems generally don’t cause true Syncope as defined above."
http://emergencypedia.com/2014/01/28/collapse-and-syncope/