Open AccessManaging patients affected by syncope in ER: differential diagnosis and risk stratification
Author(s) -
Elena Vitale,
Roberto Maggi,
Giuseppe Demarchi,
Ivo Casagranda,
Michele Brignole
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
emergency care journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2282-2054
pISSN - 1826-9826
DOI - 10.4081/ecj.2009.1.8
Subject(s) - syncope (phonology) , medicine , risk stratification , emergency department , differential diagnosis , intensive care medicine , presentation (obstetrics) , medical emergency , cardiology , emergency medicine , surgery , pathology , psychiatry
Syncope is a common presentation to the emergency department that account to about 1% . The efforts of the emergency physician in evaluating the patient with syncope should be directed to determine a specific diagnosis of syncope type and to make the risk stratification. The first objective can be achieved utilizing with strict adherence the guidelines on management of syncope of the European Society of Cardiology. To achieve the second objective it is necessary to evaluate the risk factors for short- and long-term outcomes. Furthermore, in case of unexplained syncope, it is necessary to determine the probability of cardiac cause. On this subject, the EGSYS score seems to be a reliable tool