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A high diagnostic rate in older patients attending an integrated syncope clinic
1The Glenfield Hospital, University of Leicester Department of Medicine for the Elderly, United Kingdom.
Objectives:
To describe the findings in the first year of an integrated syncope clinic for older patients and to review the published literature on "integrated" syncope clinics investigating older people.
Design:
Review of syncope clinic database and Medline search for relevant literature.
Setting:
Outpatient syncope clinics in two district hospitals in the same city.
Participants:
Secondary referrals from the in- and outpatient population with recurrent unexplained presyncopal and syncopal symptoms.
Results:
The results of testing in 76 patients over the age of 60 years were available for analysis. A diagnosis was achieved in 67 (88%) of the patients with 76% of the diagnoses being cardiovascular in origin. The prevalence rates of neurocardiogenic syncope (32%) and carotid sinus syndrome (17%), however, differed from previously reported rates.
Conclusions:
Evaluation of presyncopal and syncopal events in an "integrated syncope clinic" achieves a high diagnostic yield in older subjects.