Diagnosis of Syncope

In some cases of fainting, you’ll need to seek medical help after the fainting episode to decide whether there’s an underlying health condition. Your doctor will determine whether further investigation and treatment is needed.

Most cases of fainting aren’t a cause for concern and don’t require treatment, but you should see your doctor if you’re at all concerned. You should also see your doctor after fainting if you:

• have no previous history of fainting
• experience repeated episodes of fainting
• injure yourself during a faint
• have diabetes
• are pregnant
• have heart disease – where your heart’s blood supply is blocked or interrupted
• experienced chest pains, an irregular heartbeat or a pounding heartbeat before you lost consciousness
• experienced loss of bladder or bowel control
• took longer than a few minutes to regain consciousness

During an assessment your doctor will ask about your fainting episodes and your recent medical history. They may request some tests for you – see below, or decide to send you to a specialist for more detailed investigation.

If your doctor thinks your loss of consciousness may have been caused by a heart problem, they may suggest that you have an electrocardiogram (ECG). An ECG records your heart’s rhythm and electrical activity. A number of small, sticky patches, called electrodes, are placed on your arms, legs and chest. Wires connect the electrodes to the ECG machine.

Every time your heart beats it produces tiny electrical signals. The ECG machine traces these signals on paper, recording any abnormalities in your heartbeat. The procedure is painless and takes about five minutes.

If your doctor thinks your fainting episode was caused by Carotid Sinus Syndrome, they may massage the carotid sinus in your neck to see whether it makes you feel faint or lightheaded.

The carotid sinus is a collection of sensors in the carotid artery, which is the main artery in your neck that supplies blood to your brain.

If carotid sinus massage causes symptoms, it may indicate that you have Carotid Sinus Syndrome – see more information here.

Your doctor may measure your blood pressure while you’re lying down and again after you stand up. If your blood pressure falls when you stand up you may have orthostatic hypotension.

If you have orthostatic hypotension, you may be asked further questions to help determine the cause. For example, it can occur as a side effect of taking medications.

For more information on Syncope please do not hesitate to get in touch with Dr Deering through our appointments page.

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