The American journal of emergency medicine
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Review Meta Analysis
Prevalence of pulmonary embolism in patients presenting with syncope. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Syncope is a common clinical presentation and establishing an etiology is often challenging. Pulmonary embolism (PE) has been thought to be an uncommon cause but a recent report suggested otherwise. ⋯ The estimated prevalence of PE in patients presenting with syncope is low. The Prandoni et al. estimates are significantly higher, suggesting a possible site effect, accrual bias, or investigation strategy. These and the prognostic impact of higher PE prevalence require understanding before changes in practice.