Cardiovascular
Case 19: A Man with Blackouts
CASE
A 75‐year‐old man is sent to see you in the outpatient department with a referral problem of blackout. He is normally fairly fit and well for his age. He has however had blackouts over the past few years, each one being rather similar to the others. He has had 5 or 6 episodes in total. These only occur when he is out of the house, usually when he has been in town, and is standing still looking into a shop window. It may be that he has been in a shop looking at the higher shelves. For a few seconds he will feel slightly light headed with a general feeling of heat. He then falls to the floor; he is unsure as to whether he remembers hitting the floor. There has never been any serious injury. Witnesses describe him as looking pale, a bit sweaty, and being out for only a few seconds. He will be down on the ground for just a few seconds, and then he recovers fully, is completely alert, knows where he is and who he is. He gets up, sits down for a few minutes and is then back to normal. He is otherwise well, has no other major previous medical illness, is treated for high cholesterol with a statin. Physical examination on the couch is normal, blood pressure 145/82 mmHg.
QUESTION 1
Your score this session: 0 of 0
The description of the episodes is best summarized as suggesting?