Diagnostics | Fainting (Syncope)

Diagnostics

Basic measures of fainting – Diagnosis is the physical examination, pulse and blood pressure measurement while lying down and standing, and control of blood values, which can give the first indications of an underlying circulatory or metabolic disorder such as low blood pressure, anemia or diabetes. Further measures on the part of the heart can be, for example, ECG examinations to detect possible cardiac arrhythmia or an ultrasound examination of the heart, which can provide information about the heart’s pumping function, among other things. If there is a corresponding suspicion, the search for circulatory disturbances in the brain can also be justified by a visualization of the arteries supplying the brain, or an electroencephalogram (EEG) to exclude epilepsies.

Therapy

As any fainting can be a life-threatening condition, an emergency doctor should be called. Since unconscious patients lose protective reflexes and the muscle tension decreases, there is a risk that the patient’s own tongue sinks back and the airways become obstructed or vomit gets into the airways. Therefore, until the doctor arrives, the breathing and pulse of an unconscious person must be checked at short intervals and the patient must be placed in the stable lateral position (see there).

In the case of a classic vegetative syncope (unconsciousness), however, such complications are quite unlikely due to their short duration. It is not generally recommended to place the legs of the unconscious person in a high position, because in some cases the initial condition of the patient may even deteriorate. While this is correct and helps the patient in the case of a simple collapse due to emotional stress or exhaustion, in the case of a patient who has collapsed due to a sudden overload of the heart (e.g. in the context of a heart attack), this overload would be made worse by the blood flowing back from the legs. The therapy is rather directed – acutely as well as in the long term – towards the (presumed) cause of the collapse. When the fainting is over, homeopathic or Bach Flowers emergency drops can help to improve the situation afterwards.