Key result
Routine syncope evaluation averages €1,765 per patient, driven by unselective testing accounting for ~63% of costs.
Why the study?
The burden and costs of recurring unexplained syncope and injuries and the effectiveness of implantable loop recorders were not well characterized at a national level.
Cohort (n=375)
No
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May encourage selective syncope testing protocols; leaves open impact on outcomes in prospective studies.
Aim: The study assesses the burden and costs of recurring unexplained syncope and injuries and the effectiveness of implantable loop recorders. Methods: The English national hospital database (Hospital Episode Statistics) was retrospectively analyzed. Results: 12,002 patients were identified with repeated syncope hospitalizations. 25% of patients were hospitalized at least once again for syncope, 9% of the patients were hospitalized at least once for an injury, causing substantial costs. In the second analysis: 10,902 patients implanted with an implantable cardiac monitor were tracked. By year 3, hospitalizations due to syncope had dropped by 60% versus pre-implantable cardiac monitor (ICM) levels. Conclusion: This study shows a high rate of recurrent syncope admissions and a parallel burden of hospitalizations for injuries. Use of an ICM appears to reduce syncope hospitalizations.
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Wolff et al. (2020) conducted a cohort in Syncope (n=375). Routine hospital evaluation for syncope was evaluated on Mean total hospital cost per patient (95% CI 1258.02-2272.61).
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