PRESYNCOPE

Course overview

PRESYNCOPE OR NEAR-SYNCOPE IS OFTEN ILL-DEFINED AND MAY HAVE DIFFERENT MEANINGS TO DIFFERENT PROVIDERS BUT DENOTES NEAR FAINTING OR A PRODROME OF SYNCOPE. THE MOST UNIFORM DEFINITION IS “FEELING LIKE ONE WAS GOING TO PASS OUT BUT WITHOUT ACTUAL LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS.” NEAR SYNCOPE CAN LAST FOR SECONDS TO MINUTES. SYMPTOMS MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY A FEELING OF LIGHTHEADEDNESS, GENERAL WEAKNESS, WARMTH, DIAPHORESIS, NAUSEA, PALPITATIONS OR BLURRY VISION. ALTHOUGH OFTEN PERCEIVED AS MORE BENIGN THAN SYNCOPE, DATA SUGGEST THAT BOTH THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY (CEREBRAL HYPOPERFUSION) AND OUTCOMES OF NEAR SYNCOPE MIMIC THOSE OF SYNCOPE. THIS ACTIVITY OUTLINES THE ETIOLOGIES, EPIDEMIOLOGY, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF PRESYNCOPE AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN CARING FOR AFFECTED PATIENTS.