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Syncope (Fainting)

Fainting, also called syncope, is a sudden loss of consciousness. It often occurs when the blood pressure drops and not enough oxygen reaches the brain. There are times when fainting may look like a seizure.

| How is fainting diagnosed? | Insertable Cardiac Monitor | Prepare for Your Doctor Visit

Whether you faint once or repeatedly, if it is without any explanation you should talk to your doctor. If you faint during exercise or experience dizziness, heart palpitations, or seizure-like episodes, these are also good reasons to see a doctor.

While some causes of unexplained fainting are harmless, others may be serious. Heart-related causes, including abnormal heart rhythms, are among the most serious causes of fainting. Also, if you do not have any warning signs before you faint, you may fall unexpectedly and be injured.

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How is fainting diagnosed?

A correct diagnosis of infrequent but recurring fainting starts with gathering the facts about your own fainting spells. Your doctor or team of doctors, including an Electrophysiologist, may take a medical and family history and perform a physical exam. To help diagnose the cause of your fainting episodes, doctors may use the following tests, all performed at the Kanbar Center:

Electrocardiogram
Holter Monitor
Event Recorder
Echocardiogram
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Stress Test
Tilt Table
Electrophysiology (EP) Study

The Newest Way to Determine the Reason for Your Fainting:

Insertable Cardiac Monitor

If a person’s symptoms are infrequent or unpredictable, this small device can monitor heart rhythms for up to 3 years without patches or wires. The monitor is inserted under the skin in a simple outpatient procedure and records the heart’s activity automatically or by using a patient activator. Results can be sent remotely to the doctor’s office or reviewed during an in-office visit. This is one of the newest diagnostic options available.

An insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) may help your doctor confirm or rule out an abnormal heart rhythm as the cause of your fainting. If your fainting is heart related, treatment options may include a lifestyle change, medication, an implantable pacemaker or implantable defibrillator, or an ablation procedure. Your doctor may be able to decide the best treatment based on your condition.

Once the cardiac monitor is inserted in your upper chest area, it is programmed to continuously monitor your heart’s activity in the form of an electrocardiogram (ECG). If you experience a symptom such as fainting or uncomfortable heart sensations, you or a family member should immediately place a small hand-held activator over the cardiac monitor and press a button. This triggers the device to record the heart’s rhythms as you feel the symptoms. This may help your doctor to determine the cause of your heart-related symptoms.

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Prepare for Your Doctor Visit

Be prepared to discuss the specifics of your fainting with your doctor and make sure you are able to answer the following eight questions, which may help your doctor determine the cause of your unexplained fainting:

Have you had an unexplained fainting spell?

When did your fainting begin?

How many fainting spells have you had over the last 2 years?

About how long is it between fainting spells?

What were you doing before you fainted?

Does your job put you at risk of fainting?

Have you been monitored or tested to find the cause of your fainting?

Are you receiving treatment for fainting spells like medication or lifestyle changes, but the treatment is not helping?

Of course, this is also the time for you to ask your doctor questions. Some things you may want to know are:

Could fainting be related to my heart?
What do we do if the cause is not related to my heart?
Is fainting genetic?

California Pacific's Heart and Vascular Center

California Pacific's Heart and Vascular Center is supported by one of the best heart hospital/center networks in the USA, offering quality, comprehensive patient-centered cardiovascular care by a team of top heart surgeons and physicians with leading-edge technology. Serving the entire San Francisco Bay Area, including San Francisco and Marin County, as well as the entire Northern California region, our team has many of the best cardiovascular surgeons and physicians in California and the United States.
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