ToolsCalculators
Boston Syncope Criteria
Screens for high-risk features after emergency department syncope.
Boston Syncope Criteria
Signs/symptoms of acute coronary syndrome
Signs of conduction disease
Worrisome cardiac history (structural heart disease, low ejection fraction)
Valvular heart disease by history or exam
Family history of sudden death
Persistent abnormal vital signs in the ED
Signs of volume depletion
Primary central nervous system event
ResultNo criteria met (low risk)
No high-risk features present; outpatient management may be reasonable if otherwise appropriate.
- Criteria met
- 0 of 8
When to use
- Screening emergency department patients with syncope for features associated with 30-day adverse events.
Formula
Meeting any one of 8 criteria (signs of ACS, conduction disease, worrisome cardiac history, valvular disease, family history of sudden death, persistent abnormal vital signs, volume depletion, or primary CNS event) classifies the patient as high risk.
Pearls and pitfalls
- Designed to be highly sensitive (rule-out) rather than highly specific.