Comparison of different risk stratification systems in predicting short-term serious outcome of syncope patients

Application of five risk stratification tools for syncope in older adults

OBJECTIVE

Treatment of syncope in older adults places a burden on healthcare systems. We used five risk stratification tools to predict short-term adverse outcomes in older patients with syncope.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of patients with syncope (age ≥60 years) in the emergency department of an urban academic hospital. The data were evaluated using the Risk Stratification of Syncope in the Emergency Department (ROSE), San Francisco Syncope Rule (SFSR), FAINT, Canadian Syncope Risk Score (CSRS), and Boston Syncope Criteria (BSC) tools. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive value (NPV), and positive and negative likelihood ratios of each tool were calculated and compared for adverse events within 1 month.

RESULTS

In total, 221 patients (average age 75.6 years) were analyzed. Fifty-nine patients (26.7%) had experienced an adverse event within 1 month. For the ROSE, SFSR, FAINT, CSRS and BSC tools, sensitivities were 81.3%, 76.3%, 93.2%, 71.2%, and 94.9%, specificities were 88.3%, 87.7%, 56.8%, 71.6%, and 67.3%, and NPVs were 92.9%, 91.0%, 95.8%, 87.2%, and 97.3%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The five assessed tools could be useful for physicians in screening older patients with syncope for the risk of short-term adverse events, according to the patient's actual situation.

Risk stratification tools for patients with syncope in emergency medical services and emergency departments: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Patients with a syncope constitute a challenge for risk stratification in (prehospital) emergency care. Professionals in EMS and ED need to differentiate the high-risk from the low-risk syncope patient, with limited time and resources. Clinical decision rules (CDRs) are designed to support professionals in risk stratification and clinical decision-making. Current CDRs seem unable to meet the standards to be used in the chain of emergency care. However, the need for a structured approach for syncope patients remains. We aimed to generate a broad overview of the available risk stratification tools and identify key elements, scoring systems and measurement properties of these tools.

METHODS

We performed a scoping review with a literature search in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane and Web of Science from January 2010 to May 2022. Study selection was done by two researchers independently and was supervised by a third researcher. Data extraction was performed through a data extraction form, and data were summarised through descriptive synthesis. A quality assessment of included studies was performed using a generic quality assessment tool for quantitative research and the AMSTAR-2 for systematic reviews.

RESULTS

The literature search identified 5385 unique studies; 38 were included in the review. We discovered 19 risk stratification tools, one of which was established in EMS patient care. One-third of risk stratification tools have been validated. Two main approaches for the application of the tools were identified. Elements of the tools were categorised in history taking, physical examination, electrocardiogram, additional examinations and other variables. Evaluation of measurement properties showed that negative and positive predictive value was used in half of the studies to assess the accuracy of tools.

CONCLUSION

A total of 19 risk stratification tools for syncope patients were identified. They were primarily established in ED patient care; most are not validated properly. Key elements in the risk stratification related to a potential cardiac problem as cause for the syncope. These insights provide directions for the key elements of a risk stratification tool and for a more advanced process to validate risk stratification tools.

Predicting short-term adverse outcomes in the geriatric population presenting with syncope: a comparison of existing syncope rules and beyond

OBJECTIVES

Syncope at age 65+ is associated with increased mortality, irrespective of cause. Syncope rules were designed to aid in risk-stratification but were only validated in the general adult population. Our objective was to determine if they can be applied to a geriatric population in predicting short-term adverse outcomes.

METHODS

In this single-center retrospective study, we evaluated 350 patients aged 65+ presenting with syncope. Exclusion criteria included confirmed non-syncope, active medical condition, drug or alcohol-related syncope. Patients were stratified into high or low risk based on Canadian Syncope Risk Score (CSRS), Evaluation of Guidelines in Syncope Study (EGSYS), San Francisco Syncope Rule (SFSR), and Risk Stratification of Syncope in the Emergency Department (ROSE). Composite adverse outcomes at 48-hour and 30-day included all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), return emergency department visit, hospitalization, or medical intervention. We assessed each score's ability to predict the outcomes using logistic-regression and compared performances using receiver-operator curves. Multivariate analyses were performed to study the associations between recorded parameters and outcomes.

RESULTS

CSRS outperformed with AUC of 0.732 (95% CI: 0.653-0.812) and 0.749 (95% CI: 0.688-0.809) for 48-h and 30-day outcomes, respectively. Sensitivities for CSRS, EGSYS, SFSR, and ROSE for 48-hour outcomes were 48%, 65%, 42% and 19%; and for 30-day outcomes were 72%, 65%, 30% and 55%, respectively. Atrial fibrillation/flutter on EKG, congestive heart failure, antiarrhythmics, systolic blood-pressure < 90 at triage, and associated chest pain highly correlated with 48-h outcomes. An EKG abnormality, heart disease history, severe pulmonary hypertension, BNP > 300, vasovagal predisposition, and antidepressants highly correlated with 30-day outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Performance and accuracy of four prominent syncope rules were suboptimal in identifying high-risk geriatric patients with short-term adverse outcomes. We identified some significant clinical and laboratory information that may play a role in predicting short-term adverse events in a geriatric cohort.

A New Feasible Syncope Risk Score Appropriate for Emergency Department: A Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

We aimed to compare current syncope risk stratification scores and propose a new more feasible and easy-to-use one.

METHODS

In this prospective cohort study, we enrolled all patients (≥18 years) with chief complaint of syncope if they were not eligible for admission in terms of high-risk features. San Francisco Syncope Rule, Osservatorio Epidemiologico sulla Sincope nel Lazio, and risk stratification of syncope in the emergency department scores were compared in our population.

RESULTS

Overall, 356 patients (mean age: 44.5 years, 46.3% male) were followed for 3 months. Serious adverse events occurred in 26 (7.3%) patients including 4 deaths. Odds ratio for adverse events was 6.8 [95% confidence interval (CI), 2.8-16.1; P < 0.001; area under the curve (AUC): 66.3], 7.7 (95% CI, 3.2-18; P < 0.001; AUC: 72.8), and 18 (95% CI, 7.1-45.4; P < 0.001; AUC: 70.8) when considering San Francisco Syncope Rule, Osservatorio Epidemiologico sulla Sincope nel Lazio, and risk stratification of syncope in the emergency department scores as the predicting tools, respectively. We proposed a relatively more feasible risk score (presenting symptoms, history of cardiovascular diseases, ejection fraction <50%, and predefined electrocardiography abnormalities). According to this syncope score, odds ratio for occurring adverse events was 20.9 (95% CI, 8.4-52; P < 0.001; AUC: 79.8).

CONCLUSIONS

The 3 syncope risk scores could somehow predict 3-month adverse events. We found more feasible indicators that could predict serious events better. It suits well for emergency department.

Outcomes in syncope research: a systematic review and critical appraisal

Syncope is the common clinical manifestation of different diseases, and this makes it difficult to define what outcomes should be considered in prognostic studies. The aim of this study is to critically analyze the outcomes considered in syncope studies through systematic review and expert consensus. We performed a systematic review of the literature to identify prospective studies enrolling consecutive patients presenting to the Emergency Department with syncope, with data on the characteristics and incidence of short-term outcomes. Then, the strengths and weaknesses of each outcome were discussed by international syncope experts to provide practical advice to improve future selection and assessment. 31 studies met our inclusion criteria. There is a high heterogeneity in both outcome choice and incidence between the included studies. The most commonly considered 7-day outcomes are mortality, dysrhythmias, myocardial infarction, stroke, and rehospitalisation. The most commonly considered 30-day outcomes are mortality, haemorrhage requiring blood transfusion, dysrhythmias, myocardial infarction, pacemaker or implantable defibrillator implantation, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and syncope relapse. We present a critical analysis of the pros and cons of the commonly considered outcomes, and provide possible solutions to improve their choice in ED syncope studies. We also support global initiatives to promote the standardization of patient management and data collection.

The Veracity of Troponin Test Requests for Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department with Chest Pain; a Clinical Audit

Introduction

Troponin test is one of the methods for diagnosing acute coronary syndrome, but the overuse and misuse of this test has increased the costs imposed on the health system and the patients.

Objective

The present study was conducted to investigate the veracity of troponin test requests for patients presenting to an emergency department with chest pain and examine the effectiveness of training emergency medicine assistants in reducing unnecessary and inappropriate requests in emergency departments.

Methods

This clinical audit was conducted in the emergency department of Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran, in 2014. Sampling was carried out using the census method and all the cases presenting to the emergency department for whom a troponin test was requested by the emergency medical assistants were included in the research. First, the veracity of the current troponin test requests was assessed; then, training was given to the personnel, and the veracity of the troponin test requests was once again verified after the training was completed. The rate of veracious troponin requests for the patients was measured based on two factors, including the interval between the patients' admission and the troponin test request, and the interval between the onset of pain and the troponin test request. The veracity of the troponin test request was compared before and after training using the Phi test and Cramer's V test in IBM SPSS-21.

Results

This study examined a total of 500 patients (250 before training and 250 after), who had a mean age of 57.65±18.15 years, including 51.6% men. Significant differences were observed between the mean time of the patients' admission and the overall and post-training troponin test results (P=0.000), and also between the mean time of the onset of pain and the overall and post-training troponin test results (P=0.000). The number of positive troponin test results did not differ significantly between the patients in either of the two stages (P=0.39).

Conclusion

Unnecessary troponin test requests reduced significantly after this clinical audit in the examined emergency department.