Syncope- a common challenge to medical practitioners

Abstract

• Syncope is a common presentation in medical practice, and is associated with a higher than normal risk of mortality and morbidity in older individuals
• It is essential that an accurate clinical history of the episode described as syncope be obtained, including the events preceding, the observations of eye-witnesses, and the post-syncopal period, in order to make a diagnosis
• The immediate role of the general practitioner is to identify any injury associated with syncope, and recognize dangerous clinical diagnoses that could mimic syncope and initiate potentially life-saving therapies

• The elective evaluation of the patient with syncope is most cost-effectively managed by centers with the experience and resources to perform the investigations required