Do Elderly Patients with Syncope Benefit from Admission After a Negative ED Workup?

In a large observational study, admission was not associated with a change in the rate of serious adverse events or mortality.

Elderly patients with syncope are often admitted, but the yield of admission after a negative emergency department (ED) evaluation is low (Acad Emerg Med 2016; 23:1210), and whether admission benefits patients is unknown. To test the association between hospital admission and serious adverse events (SAEs) at 30 days in patients aged ≥60 years with syncope, researchers performed a secondary analysis of data for patients prospectively enrolled at 11 centers in the U.S. with either syncope or presyncope. Patients with an SAE identified in the ED were excluded. Other than electrocardiography and cardiac biomarkers, ED and hospital workup was at the discretion of the treating providers.

Of 2492 patients (mean age, 73 years), 75% were hospitalized…

Reviewing Author

Benton R. Hunter, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Chair, Evidence Based Healthcare Interest Group)

Benton R. Hunter, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Chair, Evidence Based Healthcare Interest Group)

Do Elderly Patients with Syncope Benefit from Admission After a Negative ED Workup?

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Reviewing Author