Detection of asymptomatic arrhythmias in unexplained syncope

Although electrocardiographic monitoring during syncope is the most unambiguous method of diagnosing or excluding an arrhythmia, it requires recurrence of syncope with potential morbidity. We hypothesized that long-term monitoring of patients with syncope would yield significant asymptomatic abnormalities that might preclude waiting for recurrence of actual syncope.

Sixty patients (age, 67+/-16 years; 27 men) with recurrent unexplained syncope, aged >or=30 years, with a left ventricular ejection fraction >or=35% and negative results on conventional monitoring were enrolled in a prospective study involving long-term automatic arrhythmia detection monitoring with an implantable loop recorder. Pre-specified significant asymptomatic arrhythmias were a pause >5 seconds, 3 degrees atrioventricular block >10 seconds, heart rate (HR) <30 beats/min for >10 seconds while awake, wide complex tachycardia >10 beats, and narrow complex tachycardia >180 beats/min for >30 beats. Borderline asymptomatic arrhythmias included 3- to 5-second pauses, HR <30 beats/min for <10 seconds while awake, HR <30 beats/min for >10 seconds while asleep, and nonsustained wide complex tachycardia or narrow complex tachycardia.

Recurrent symptoms developed in 30 patients during the 1-year follow-up period (47%), with arrhythmias detected in 14 patients (23%). Pre-specified significant asymptomatic arrhythmias developed in 9 patients (15%), with bradycardia in 7 patients who underwent pacemaker implantation. Twenty patients (33%) had borderline asymptomatic arrhythmias. Five of these patients (25%) went on to have more pronounced diagnostic arrhythmias of the same mechanism during further follow-up, including pauses of 6 to 17 seconds duration in 3 patients.

Long-term monitoring of patients with unexplained syncope with automatic arrhythmia detection demonstrated that significant asymptomatic arrhythmias were seen more frequently than anticipated, leading to a change in patient treatment. Automatic arrhythmia detection provides incremental diagnostic usefulness in long-term monitoring of patients with syncope.