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Electrocardiography is a relatively standard component of the emergency department work-up of syncope. In a prospective study of 436 patients (aged 18 to older than 80) who presented to a single ED with syncope, researchers analyzed electrocardiograms (ECGs) to determine their utility in diagnosing the cause of syncope. All patients were followed for 14 days after their initial visits to assess subsequent adverse cardiac events (arrhythmia, myocardial ischemia, and diagnosis of structural heart disease).
Forty-four patients (10%) experienced adverse cardiac events within 14 days. ECGs were useful in determining the cause of syncope in 4% of all patients. Ten percent of all ECGs performed in patients younger than 40 showed some abnormality (e…