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Article: Updated syncope guidelines emphasize history.(News)(American College of Emergency Physicians)
- Article from:
- Family Practice News
- Article date:
- May 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 International Medical News Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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MAUI, HAWAII -- The American College of Emergency Physicians' newly revised guidelines for evaluating patients with syncope play down age as a risk factor and emphasize the need to get a cardiac history, Dr. James V. Quinn explained at a symposium on emergency medicine sponsored by Stanford School of Medicine.
The dilemma "is what to do with the patient who now looks really well but who passed out," said Dr. Quinn, director of research in the division of emergency medicine, Stanford (Calif.) University.
Syncope occurs when there is hypo-perfusion of the cerebral cortex and reticular activating system; 8-10 seconds of interrupted perfusion results in a ...