Outcomes of unexplained syncope in the elderly

The objective of this study was to determine whether syncope of unknown etiology (SUE) influences mortality in the elderly. Patients with SUE at 65 years or older were identified retrospectively and their outcomes were compared with an age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched group of patients drawn from the same population. All-cause 3-year mortality was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. SUE was identified in 150 of 304 patients (49%) with syncope. Patients with SUE and controls experienced mortality rates (1/1000 person-years [95% confidence interval]) of 147.8 (112.6-193.9) and 153.4 (117.5-200.3), P=.7, respectively. Of all the recorded characteristics of SUE, only the inpatient status was associated with higher all-cause mortality (Cox model adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] of inpatients vs outpatients with SUE: 2.2 [1.1-4.1], P=.017). New-onset SUE is not an independent predictor of mortality in elderly patients.