Introduction:

A clinical profile was constructed on patients with syncope in a Bogota University Hospital.

Objective:

To describe the clinical characteristics of patients with syncope that were seen in the Hospital Militar Central in Bogota in the period 2012-2015, as well as to analyse the contribution of diagnostic aids and the Evaluation of Guidelines in Syncope Study (EGSYS) and the Lazio epidemiological syncope Observation (OESIL) scores in order to determine the aetiological diagnosis.

Methods:

A descriptive observational study was performed on patients over 18 years admitted to the Emergency Department of the Hospital Militar Central due to syncope. An analysis was carried out on the clinical characteristics, examinations requested, and the scores on the EGSYS and OESI L scales.

Results:

A total of 705 clinical histories were evaluated, of which 116 were excluded due to lack of data. The mean age was 58 years, and 46.52% were women. Arterial hypertension was observed in 41.6%, and 21% had a previous heart disease. According to the aetiological diagnosis, 75% were classified as non-cardiac syncope, 23% as cardiac syncope, and 2% of unknown origin. The most requested examination was the electrocardiogram (79%), followed by troponin (63%), and a computed tomography brain scan (58%). On applying the scales, 60% of the patients had a score of less than 3 (EGSYS) and 2 points (OESIL), which suggested that they were of non-cardiogenic origin/low mortality risk, respectively.

Conclusions:

The origin of syncope in the majority of cases was non-cardiac. An electrocardiogram must be requested on all patients with syncope. The routine use of risk scales can contribute to reducing the number of non-indicated examinations, as well as optimise the use of resources and reduce hospital stay.

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