Via practica 2/2013

Syncopes from emergency medical services physician´s point of view – two case reports

Despite of progress in diagnostics and therapy of syncopes management of this condition still remains unsatisfactory. Insufficient application of theoretical knowledge into practice can be supposed a reason for this state. The European Society of Cardiology publishes updated guidelines for diagnostics and therapy of syncopes. Guidelines 2010 are applicable into Emergency Medical Services´practice. According to these guidelines any temporary loss of counsciousness needs initial examination in prehospital settings. Diagnostics includes precise case history, clinical exmination including blood pressure of standing and sitting person, neurological examination to exclude brain stroce or transient ischaemic attack and 12 lead ECG. This examination isn´t provided in every collapsed person. We present two case reports of syncopes which presented benign but 12 lead ECG and correct interpretation of findings lead to the right conclusion of severe cardiac syncope.

Keywords: electrocardiogram, transient loss of consciousness, cardiac syncope