What is the diagnostic yield of computed tomography for patients presenting to the ED with syncope or patients hospitalized for syncope?

BEEM Bottom Line

Why is this study important?

Syncope is a common emergency department (ED) presentation. A large proportion of these patients undergo computed tomography (CT) of the head despite any evidence of neurologic deficit or injury. This is contrary to the North American Choosing Wisely recommendations.[1] [2] Little guidance exists for which patients should undergo head CT following syncope. This review attempts to determine the proportion of syncope patients who undergo head CT, and of these patients, the proportion who have significant clinical findings.

Which, if any, threats to validity are most likely to have an impact on the results and how?

Thank you for your interest in the BEEM Journal!

To read the rest of this article or to access the entire collection of BEEM Critical Appraisals, please purchase a subscription at the link below.

If you would like a pre-view, click here to view some sample articles

Premium Content Available Through Subscription

BEEM is a knowledge translation project which aims to extract the most recent, EM relevant, and valid evidence from the volumes of available medical research and deliver it to EM practitioners in an easily consumable format to help guide their clinical practice. This valuable distilled information provided by BEEM is available through BEEM's accredited CME courses or through our online journal.

A BEEM Journal Subscription will provide you with unlimited access to our entire collection of Critical Appraisals for 1 year.