Serious reasons why your patient fainted…

If your patient presents with…

  1. Symptoms of arm ischemia or paresthesias with syncope – Subclavian steal syndrome
  2. Chest pain that is acute, radiates, tearing/sharp, involves symptoms above and below diaphragm with syncope – Aortic dissection
  3. Tachypnea, pleuritic chest pain, shortness of breath with syncope – PE
  4. Neurologic deficit with syncope – TIA/stroke
  5. Headache that is sudden in onset, maximal at onset, worst of life with syncope – Subarachnoid hemorrhage
  6. Minor trauma with head or neck pain and syncope – Carotid/vertebral artery dissection
  7. Abdominal/flank pain in older patient with syncope – Ruptured AAA