Structure and Objectives

The Syncope Center at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, a component of The Heart Institute, performs state-of-the-art evaluations of patients who present with syncope. The Syncope Center coordinates the activities of a clinical panel, a consortium of laboratories, and a board of consultants to ensure comprehensive evaluation and treatment. Each patient has an initial assessment by a member of the clinical panel who individualizes the diagnostic sequence and coordinates the work-up. The cause of syncope can be found quickly in most cases. Therapy is recommended by a clinical panel member, based on the diagnosis. During long-term therapy, the clinical panel member who coordinated the workup is available for consultation.

The Syncope Center clinical panel consists of Columbia University teaching staff cardiologists with diverse backgrounds and training but united by their interest and expertise in syncope. Consultants from a variety of specialties are also readily available. Neurology, circulatory physiology, endocrinology, psychiatry, and surgery have special contributions to make in the diagnosis and/or treatment of certain patients with unusual causes of syncope. As part of the Department of Medicine at Columbia University, the Syncope Center is also a research center devoted to learning more about the causes of syncope and their treatments.