Abstract
Syncope is defined as a temporary, abrupt loss of consciousness with spontaneous return to baseline. This chapter offers a framework for a focused approach to syncope. A detailed history and physical examination establishes the pretest probability that the syncope is of cardiac origin. Although echocardiography is not indicated for many cases of syncope, it can be a valuable tool to risk stratify syncope when it is suspected to be of cardiac origin. Transthoracic echo (TTE) is an efficient means of rapidly identifying structural heart disease, which suggests a higher probability of cardiogenic syncope and places the patient in a higher risk category than a patient with a structurally normal heart.
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†Deceased
Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Farooq Chaudhry who was a cherished colleague in the Division of Cardiology at Mount Sinai Hospital. His untimely passing in 2017 has left a void in our hearts and minds.
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Seetharam, K., Calenda, B.W., Chaudhry, F.A. (2018). Echocardiography in Patients with Syncope. In: Herzog, E., Argulian, E. (eds) Echocardiography in the CCU. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90278-4_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90278-4_4
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