Fifteen-minute consultation on limiting investigations in the fainting child

Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed. 2016 Feb;101(1):26-30. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2015-308422. Epub 2015 Jul 22.

Abstract

Syncope can be a dramatic and frightening experience for the patient and onlookers. It can also be a confusing area for doctors, with a lack of diagnostic certainty and a differential that ranges from the completely benign to the life-threatening. This is a tricky area for clinicians, who can find it difficult to reassure their patients and their families. The aim of this article is to present a clear scheme for appropriate investigation and referral of paediatric patients with syncope. The aim of investigations in such cases should be to confirm or exclude serious, life-threatening causes of syncope.

Keywords: Accident & Emergency; Cardiology; Circulatory; General Paediatrics; Neurology.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Pediatrics / standards*
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic*
  • Syncope / diagnosis*
  • Syncope / therapy*