PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Gordon, Terry A.
AU  - Moodie, Douglas S.
AU  - Passalacqua, Matthew
AU  - Sterba, Richard
AU  - Rothner, A. David
AU  - Erenberg, Gerald
AU  - Cruse, Robert P.
TI  - A retrospective analysis of the cost-effective workup of syncope in children
DP  - 1987 Sep 01
TA  - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
PG  - 391--394
VI  - 54
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/54/5/391.short
4100  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/54/5/391.full
SO  - Cleve Clin J Med1987 Sep 01; 54
AB  - Syncope in children can result from a wide variety of causes. Consequently, an evaluation that fails to approach this problem in a goal-directed fashion often proves to be extremely expensive, time-consuming, and frustrating to all concerned. In today’s medical and economic climate, it is crucial to implement a cost-effective approach to the workup of children with syncope. The authors evaluated 73 children with syncope, using a total of 443 diagnostic tests or consultations at a total cost of $77,419. In a large proportion of patients, the cause of the syncope could not be established. The initial clinical examination with special emphasis on historical data, if it suggests a probable cause, should direct the physician in further diagnostic workup. This examination should include a complete physical and ECG. If warranted, a goal-directed, cost-effective workup can then ensue.