Syncope — Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Syncope is the sudden and transient loss of consciousness accompanied by a loss of postural tone. The term derives from the Greek word synkoptein, meaning “to cut short,” and purportedly, Hippocrates himself provided the first description of a patient with the disorder.1 Syncope accounts for 3 percent of emergency room visits and 1 to 6 percent of all hospital admissions, and it costs $750 million per year to diagnose and treat.2,3 The causes of syncope range from the benign to the lethal. Rational patient care is facilitated by an understanding of the pathophysiology and epidemiology of syncope, as well . . .