24/06/2008: Royal College of Physicians: The management of 'collapse?cause'

In the UK, “collapse?cause” is a common term in use in emergency departments in all hospitals. An abrupt loss of postural control is often, but not always accompanied by transient loss of consciousness (T-LOC). Often, the first-responders and subsequent clinical reviewers find no signs or symptoms, and many common tests are unhelpful. The clinical history, supplemented by an eye-witness account, is crucial, but a number of different causes of collapse and of T-LOC may look the same. Many patients may end up being misdiagnosed, especially with epilepsy, and a Parliamentary Group on Epilepsy has acknowledged that at least 74,000 patients in England are misdiagnosed with epilepsy. Often terminology is confused, convulsive blackouts are assumed to be epileptic when they may be syncopal, and there may be an over reliance on tests above clinical assessment. This conference aims to try and steer clinicians towards a better understanding of causes and mechanisms, clarify terminology and the key points in clinical assessment and testing.

Audience: Consultant physicians and doctors in training in emergency medicine, acute internal medicine, cardiovascular medicine, neurology, care of the elderly. In addition, specialist nurses looking after patients in primary care will find this conference useful.

Conference Organiser: RCP Conference Department

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