Time has not passed for the tilt table test

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Clinical Physiology

Background:

• The tilt table test is a diagnostic tool for evaluating loss of consciousness and understanding circulatory mechanisms in reflex syncope.
• In 2015, all tilt table tests for the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) were centralized at Peijas Hospital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the results of tilt table tests performed in 2015 within the HUS.
• To characterize the mechanisms and prevalence of syncope in patients undergoing the tilt table test.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of medical history, circulation monitor printouts, and medical reports from 133 patients who underwent tilt table testing in 2015.
• Classification of positive tilt tests using the VASIS classification and recording the time to loss of consciousness.

Main Results:

• Abnormal upright tolerance was identified in 30% of the patients.
• The average time to loss of consciousness was 35.2 minutes.
• The most frequent syncope mechanism was mixed reaction (60.0%), followed by vasovagal reaction (22.5%), cardioinhibitory reaction (10.0%), and lacking stroke volume response (7.5%).

Conclusions:

• Referral practices for tilt table testing exhibit variability across HUS units.
• The observed incidence of cardioinhibitory reactions in this study was lower compared to previous research.