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Fainting

Alternative Names:

Passed out; Lightheadedness - fainting; Syncope; Vasovagal

Home Care:

If you have a history of fainting and have been seen by a medical professional, follow your doctor's instructions for how to prevent fainting episodes. For example, if you know the situations that cause you to faint, avoid or change them. Avoid sudden changes in posture. Get up from a lying or seated position slowly. If having blood drawn makes you faint, tell your health care provider before having a blood test and make sure that you are lying down when the test is done.

You can take immediate treatment steps when someone has fainted:

Call your health care provider if:

Call 911 if the person who fainted:

Even if it's not an emergency situation, people should be seen by a doctor if they have never fainted before, if they are fainting frequently, or if they have new symptoms associated with fainting. Call for an appointment to be seen as soon as possible.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

When you see your doctor, the focus of the questions will be to determine whether you simply fainted, or if something else happened (like a seizure), and to figure out the cause of the fainting episode.

The questions will include:

The physical examination will focus on your heart, lungs, and nervous system. Your blood pressure may be measured in several different positions.

Tests that may be performed include:

References:

American College of Emergency Physicians. Clinical policy: critical issues in the evaluation and management of patients presenting with syncope. Ann Emerg Med . 2001; 37(6): 771-776.

Marx J. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice . 5th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby, Inc; 2002.

Ganzeboom KS. Prevalence and triggers of syncope in medical students. Am J Cardiol . 2003; 91(8): 1006-1008, A8.

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