EP

EDUCATION

Workshop

RISKY BUSINESS: SYNCOPE ASSESSMENT IN WORRISOME SITUATIONS

Chair(s)

• 

  Teresa Kus, MD, PHD

  Cardiac Electrophysiologist
  Université de Montréal

Co-Chair(s)

• Juan G.

  Juan Guzman, MSc, FRCPC

  Associate Professor of Medicine

Presenter(s)

• Safia c.

  Safia chatur

  dr
• Thomas R.

  Thomas Roston, MD, FRCPC

  Cardiology
• 

  Venkatesh Thiruganasambandamoorthy

  Emergency Physician
  Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa
• Roopinder S.

  Roopinder Sandhu

  Cardiac Electrophysiology
• Colette S.

  Colette Seifer

  Professor

Planning Committee Member(s)

• Satish R.

  Satish Raj, MD MSCI FRCPC

  Professor
  University of Calgary
• 

  Robert Sheldon, MD PhD FRCPC

  Professor
  University of Calgary
• Hamid B.

  Hamid Banijamali

  Consulting cardiologist

Prologue Syncope prognostication, risk assessment, and disposition continue to be worrisome concerns. This is partly due to concerns that uncommon but dangerous causes may be missed, and at times due to assessment of possibly vulnerable populations. Syncope assessment in the emergency department poses a combination of challenges including limited background knowledge of the patient, time limitations, a high stress environment, and the concern that up to 10% of patients may have an arrhythmic etiology. Syncope assessment in pregnancy is challenged by a complete lack of information, and in children by worries that rare genetic causes may be missed. Focused background Fortunately new work, largely Canadian, provides help. Funded in part by the Canadian Arrhythmia Network, we have a strongly evidence-based risk assessment tool for emergency departments, and national and provincial data on health services epidemiology and outcome that are unrivalled elsewhere. Similarly we have a unique and ground-breaking large study of outcomes of pregnant moms and kids with worrisome findings, and unique data on health services epidemiology and outcome of children with syncope. What we will do We will use the minidebate format to highlight the strengths and limitations of syncope risk scores in the emergency department, and outcomes of pregnant moms and children with syncope. Not all outcomes are benign in any of the groups, and co-morbidities are high. Debate 1: Moms and kids who faint: Don’t worry, be happy? (Drs Chatur and Roston) Debate 2: Syncope risk scores do work (Drs Thiruganasambandamoorthy and Sandhu) The debates will have 8-minute presentations with 2-minute rebuttals, for a total of 20 minutes each. They will be followed by 10-minute Question and Answer periods. Speakers Canada has a vibrant syncope investigators community, and our speakers comprise international experts and new stars. Drs Sandhu and Thiruganasambandamoorthy have both published foundational work in syncope assessment and outcomes, and Drs Roston and Chatur have both published important work on syncope assessment and outcomes in vulnerable young populations, including pregnancy.

 

Target Audience(s):

General: All cardiovascular (clinical and research) health professionals
Trainee (clinical)
Clinical cardiologists

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:

• identify the main risks posed by syncope during pregnancy;
• describe the burden of syncope in childhood and adolescence; and
• apply a validated risk score for syncope in the emergency department.