San Francisco Syncope Rule to Predict Serious Outcomes

Defines high-risk criteria for patients with syncope.

Quinn J, McDermott D, Stiell I, Kohn M, Wells G. Prospective validation of the San Francisco Syncope Rule to predict patients with serious outcomes. Ann Emerg Med. 2006 May;47(5):448-54. Epub 2006 Jan 18. PubMed PMID: 16631985.

Birnbaum A, Esses D, Bijur P, Wollowitz A, Gallagher EJ. Failure to validate the San Francisco Syncope Rule in an independent emergency department population. Ann Emerg Med. 2008 Aug;52(2):151-9. Epub 2008 Feb 20. PubMed PMID: 18282636.

Note: This rule has a 96% sensitivity and 62% specificity for serious outcome. Negative predictive value: 99.2%; positive predictive value 24.8%.

Serious Outcome in this study is defined as "death, myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, pulmonary embolism, stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, significant hemorrhage, or any condition causing a return ED visit and hospitalization for a related event."

Posted in: Cardiac • Cardiology • Critical Care • Neurologic • Neurology