Revista portuguesa de cardiologia : orgão oficial da Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia = Portuguese journal of cardiology : an official journal of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology
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Several disorders resemble syncope. According to the European Society of Cardiology guidelines, certain key questions should be addressed during the initial evaluation of a patient presenting syncope. The physician should be alert to important clinical features that suggest the diagnosis and the evaluation strategy. ⋯ Cardiac bradyarrhythmia was thus established as the cause of the syncope and a permanent pacemaker was implanted, with no recurrence of symptoms. This example of an unusually long-lasting cardiac arrest with spontaneous recovery illustrates the non-specific nature of clinical features and how difficult it is to diagnose syncope in an Emergency Department setting. The authors briefly review the topic according to recent guidelines.