Resource utilisation for syncope presenting to an acute hospital Emergency Department

Area of Science:

• Clinical Medicine
• Cardiology
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Syncope is a frequent cause of hospital admission, representing up to 6% of cases.
• Resource utilization for syncope management in Ireland remains under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the resource utilization patterns for patients admitted due to syncope.
• To identify areas for potential improvement in syncope care pathways.

Main Methods:

• An observational case series design was employed.
• Consecutive adult patients presenting with syncope to an Emergency Department were included over a 5-month period.

Main Results:

• 1.1% of patients experienced syncope, with 51.4% requiring hospital admission.
• The average length of hospital stay was 6.9 days.
• Retrospective review indicated 64 admissions were unnecessary based on ESC guidelines; 77.3% had cardiac investigations and 51% had brain imaging.

Conclusions:

• Syncope management significantly burdens hospital resources.
• A substantial proportion of admissions are avoidable, suggesting outpatient management is often feasible.
• Establishing dedicated outpatient Syncope Management Units is recommended to optimize resource allocation and patient management.