A High Diagnostic Rate in Older Patients Attending an Integrated Syncope Clinic

OBJECTIVES: To describe the findings in the first year of an integrated syncope clinic for older patients and to review the published literature on "integrated" syncope clinics investigating older people. DESIGN: Review of syncope clinic database and Medline search for relevant literature. SETTING: Outpatient syncope clinics in two district hospitals in the same city. PARTICIPANTS: Secondary referrals from the in- and outpatient population with recurrent unexplained presyncopal and syncopal symptoms. RESULTS: The results of testing in 76 patients over the age of 60 years were available for analysis. A diagnosis was achieved in 67 (88%) of the patients with 76% of the diagnoses being cardiovascular in origin. The prevalence rates of neurocardiogenic syncope (32%) and carotid sinus syndrome (17%), however, differed from previously reported rates. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of presyncopal and syncopal events in an "integrated syncope clinic" achieves a high diagnostic yield in older subjects.