Syncope in the Pediatric Patient

The MCG Pediatric Podcast

Did you know around 15 to 25% of children will have at least one syncopal episode before adulthood? Join medical students Sanya Dudani and Caleb Robertson, along with Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. John Plowden, as they discuss the evaluation and management of syncope in the pediatric patient. Specifically, they will:

• Discuss the definition of syncope and its underlying pathophysiology
• Recall the incidence and risk factors of syncope in the pediatric population
• Describe the various etiologies and their distinguishing factors
• Understand the proper approach to taking a history for a pediatric patient with a chief complaint of syncope
• Recognize findings on the physical exam that help narrow the differential diagnosis
• Understand the appropriate lab tests and imaging needed
• Discuss when it's appropriate to refer patients to specialists

Special thanks to Dr. Rebecca Yang and Dr. Melissa Lefebvre for peer reviewing this episode!

CME Credit (requires free sign up): https://mcg.cloud-cme.com/course/courseoverview?P=0&EID=19514

References:

Arthur W, Kaye GC The pathophysiology of common causes of syncope Postgraduate Medical Journal 2000;76:750-753.

Cipolla MJ. The Cerebral Circulation. San Rafael (CA): Morgan & Claypool Life Sciences; 2009. Chapter 5, Control of Cerebral Blood Flow. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53082/

Clark, BC, Hayman, JM, Berul, CI, Burns, KM, and Kaltman, JR. Selective use of the electrocardiogram in pediatric preparticipation athletic examinations among pediatric primary care providers. Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol. 2017; 22:e12446. https://doi.org/10.1111/anec.12446]

De, A. and Davidson Ward, S.L. (2014), Syncope at altitude: An enigmatic case. Pediatr Pulmonol., 49: E144-E146. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.23062

Gupta A, Menoch M, Levasseur K, Gonzalez IE. Screening Pediatric Patients in New-Onset Syncope (SPINS) Study. Clinical Pediatrics. 2020;59(2):127-133. doi:10.1177/0009922819885660

Hainsworth, R. Pathophysiology of syncope. Clin Auton Res 14 (Suppl 1), i18–i24 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-004-1004-2

Phillip A. Low, Paola Sandroni, Chapter 106 - Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Editor(s): David Robertson, Italo Biaggioni, Geoffrey Burnstock, Phillip A. Low, Julian F.R. Paton, Primer on the Autonomic Nervous System (Third Edition), Academic Press, 2012, Pages 517-519, ISBN 9780123865250, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-386525-0.00106-2

Zavala, Rennette MD∗; Metais, Benjamin MD†; Tuckfield, Lynnia BS‡; DelVecchio, Michael MD‡; Aronoff, Stephen MD, MBA‡. Pediatric Syncope: A Systematic Review. Pediatric Emergency Care: September 2020 - Volume 36 - Issue 9 - p 442-445 doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002149