| Shownotes |
"Medical management of syncope (or better understood by patients : "black-out") is impossible to be dealt with by one single specialism. In practice, syncope patients are seen by the GP, cardiologists, neurologists, psychiatrists and other specialists. Therefore, the ESC 2004 guidelines advocate the development of Syncope Management Units (SMU). These can be physically present or work as a virtual department, with multidisciplinary skills and experience and must have the accessibility to a broad range of diagnostic tests. The SMU is involved if, after initial work-up, syncope remains unexplained. Early experience indicate benefits of this model in terms of efficiency gains and cost-effectiveness. Currently in the US about 14 % of hospitals have an SMU and 21 % has planned one. In Europe these numbers are probably lower. More evidence would stimulate the initiation of SMU." |
