Title: Life-Threatening Causes of Syncope<br/>Author: Semhar Tewelde<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/faculty/352/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p>
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<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; ">Syncope is a sudden lack of blood supply to the brain typically caused by a problem in the regulation of blood pressure or a problem with the heart</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; ">Syncope can be broadly classified in 3 categories neural reflex (~60%), orthostatic (~15%), and cardiac (~15%) </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; ">Even in the absence of a firm diagnosis of cardiac syncope, the presence of known structural heart disease (CAD) or evidence a primary electrical disorder is associated with a poor prognosis</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; ">Cardiac causes of syncope can also be divided into 3 categories: structural heart disease, obstructive lesions, and arrhythmogenic potential</span></span>
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<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; ">Structural: Ischemic heart disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, ARVD, </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; ">Obstructive: HCM, aortic/mitral stenosis, atrial myxoma, pulmonary HTN, PE, tamponade</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; ">Arrhythmogenic: </span></span>
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<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; ">Brady: AV block, sick sinus, sinus arrest/pause</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; ">Tachy: SVT (AVNRT/AVRT), accessory pathways (WPW), or primary arrhythmias (LQTS, SQTS, CPVT, Brugada) </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; ">Khoo C, Chakrabarti S, et al. Recognizing Life-Threatening Causes of Syncope. Cardiology Clinics. </span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 15px; ">Volume 31, Feb, 2013</span></p>
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