Syncope is a form of transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) resulting from cerebral hypoperfusion and is characterized by rapid onset, short duration and spontaneous complete recovery [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSyncope, a form of transient loss of consciousness, remains a complex medical condition for which adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including death, are of major concern but rarely occur. Current risk stratification algorithms have not completely delineated which patients benefit from hospitalization and specific interventions. Patients are often admitted unnecessarily and at high cost.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Syncope, a common problem encountered in the emergency department (ED), has a multitude of causes ranging from benign to life-threatening. Hospitalization may be required, but the management can vary substantially depending on specific clinical characteristics. Models predicting admission and hospitalization length of stay (LoS) are lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Innov Card Rhythm Manag
July 2019
A 53-year-old female with a history of sports participation presented to a community hospital emergency department for collapse. She was given a LifeVest wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD) (Zoll Medical Corp., Chelmsford, MA, USA) and scheduled to undergo cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium enhancement at a tertiary center.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: RV pacing (RVP), even with preserved atrioventricular (AV) synchrony, may lead to left atrial (LA) enlargement and atrial fibrillation. However, inciting events are unknown. We hypothesized that RVP acutely impairs LA function by mechanisms affecting atrial contraction and/or ventricular diastole.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Heart Lung Transplant
October 2007
A 64-year-old man who had received a lung transplant later presented with an air embolism that caused ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, multiple strokes, and death. Transesophageal echocardiography was used to document air bubbles crossing from a bronchial fistula to a pulmonary vein and into the left atrium. Spontaneous air was seen entering a pulmonary vein during positive-pressure ventilation and exiting through the left ventricular outflow tract.
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