Syncope is very common and affects 42% of people during their lifetime. It is defined as a transient loss of consciousness due to cerebral hypoperfusion, characterised by a rapid onset, short duration, and spontaneous complete recovery. It may be due to reflex syncope (e.g. vasovagal, situational, carotid sinus syndrome), orthostatic hypotension, postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS) or other cardiac causes. Psychogenic pseudo-syncope (PPS) is a conversion disorder in which episodes resemble syncope but there is no drop in blood pressure or impairment of cerebral circulation.
The syncope hub offers a 30-minute learning module to educate GPs in the management of syncope, including the search for an underlying diagnosis, knowing what examination and tests to carry out, what red flags to look for and when to refer. There is also a syncope toolkit which guides the GP through the initial assessment, appropriate investigation, and management of patients with syncope and orthostatic intolerance (presyncope symptoms). It covers diagnosis, awareness of key indicators and red-flags, and timely signposting of patients towards life-improving or life-saving care. The toolkit is aimed at the time-pressed GP and has links to our new NUB format (new and useful bits), which allows a quick review of the key features of different types of syncope.
A 5-minute screencast highlights features which can help to differentiate between vasovagal syncope, epilepsy and PPS and discusses PPS in more detail, and in under 20 minutes, our podcast explores the different causes of syncope in children and young adults, as well as how to diagnose and manage the condition in primary care.
