Syncope

Fainted or almost passed out

CCMS-MED-SOP-001 §16

Pew syncope is usually vasovagal: heat, standing, sight of blood, empty stomach. It is also sometimes arrhythmia, PE, GI bleed, or ectopic pregnancy. The recovery tells you a lot.

1. 1

   Lie them down. Check glucose. Loosen a tight collar. Crowd control — they need air, not an audience.

2. 2

   Typical vagal: prodrome (nausea, tunnel vision, sweat), brief loss, immediate return to clear thinking, slow pulse that comes back. Still do not rush them to standing.

3. 3

   They stay on the ground or in a chair until they are clearly normal and can stand without dizziness.

• Red flags: exertional syncope, no prodrome, chest pain, palpitations, known heart disease, family sudden death, pregnancy, neuro deficit, trauma from the fall. Those ride in an ambulance.
• Elderly + head strike = fall/head pathway.

This field guide does not replace 911, a medical director, or licensed clinical judgment. It does not authorize anyone to practice beyond license and current training.