Pulmonary Embolism Is Rare in Patients with Syncope

A large international study finds a low prevalence of pulmonary emboli in patients presenting to the ED with syncope.

There has been some controversy recently regarding the prevalence of pulmonary embolism (PE) among patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with syncope (NEJM JW Emerg Med Nov 2017 and Am J Emerg Med 2017 Sep 13; [e-pub]). In an attempt to provide a generalizable estimate of prevalence, investigators conducted a retrospective study of five databases in four countries (Canada, Denmark, Italy, and the U.S.) from 2000 to 2016.

Nearly 1.7 million adults who presented to an emergency department (ED) with syncope were included in the analysis. PE was diagnosed in 0.06% to 0.55% of all patients who presented with syncope, and in 0.15% to 2.1% of those who were hospitalized for syncope.

Reviewing Author

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education

Pulmonary Embolism Is Rare in Patients with Syncope

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Reviewing Author