A high diagnostic rate in older patients attending an integrated syncope clinic

OBJECTIVES: To describe the findings in the first year of an integrated syn cope clinic for older patients and to review the published literature on "i ntegrated" syncope clinics investigating older people. DESIGN: Review of syncope clinic database and Medline search fur relevant l iterature. SETTING: Outpatient syncope clinics in two district hospitals in the same c ity. PARTICIPANTS: Secondary referrals from the in- and outpatient population wi th recurrent unexplained presyncopal and syncopal symptoms. RESULTS: The results of testing in 76 patients over the age of 60 years wer e available for analysis. A diagnosis was achieved in 67 (88%) of the patie nts with 76% of the diagnoses being cardiovascular in origin. The prevalenc e rates of neurocardiogenic syncope (32%) and carotid sinus syndrome (17%), however, differed from previously reported rates. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of presyncopal and syncopal events in an "integrate d syncope clinic" achieves a high diagnostic yield in older subjects.