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Syncope

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Handbook of Outpatient Cardiology

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Abstract

Syncope is a common problem costing the medical system nearly 2.5 billion dollars each year. Mechanistically, it is a manifestation of global cerebral hypoperfusion, which comprises a common pathway of numerous underlying pathologies. These can range from benign conditions such as hypovolemia to malignant disorders such as ventricular tachycardia. Many other causes of loss of consciousness can also mimic and be erroneously diagnosed as syncope. Distinguishing between these various culprit etiologies can be challenging, particularly in the ambulatory setting, but is critical to the accurate diagnosis and subsequent management of syncope.

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Abbreviations

ARVC:

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

AS:

Aortic stenosis

BP:

Blood pressure

CPVT:

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia

CSP:

Carotid sinus pressure

CSS:

Carotid sinus syndrome

CT:

Computed tomography

CVA:

Cerebrovascular accident

ECG:

Electrocardiogram

ED:

Emergency department

ELR:

External loop recorder

HCM:

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

ILR:

Implantable loop recorder

LQTS:

Long QT syndrome

LVOT:

Left ventricular outflow tract

MCOT:

Mobile cardiac outpatient telemetry

MI:

Myocardial infarction

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

MS:

Mitral stenosis

OS:

Orthostatic syncope

PCI:

Percutaneous coronary intervention

PE:

Pulmonary embolus

proBNP:

Pro-brain natriuretic peptide

SSRI:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor

TdP:

Torsades de pointes

TIA:

Transient ischemic attack

TLOC:

Transient loss of consciousness

TTE:

Transthoracic echocardiogram

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Shu Yang & Peter Zimetbaum

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  1. Shu Yang
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  2. Peter Zimetbaum
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Correspondence to Shu Yang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Ankit A. Bhargava

  2. Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Bryan J. Wells

  3. Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Pablo A. Quintero

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Yang, S., Zimetbaum, P. (2022). Syncope. In: Bhargava, A.A., Wells, B.J., Quintero, P.A. (eds) Handbook of Outpatient Cardiology . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88953-1_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88953-1_4

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