Why do we faint?

Can anyone tell me what causes syncope? Is it the heartbeat slowing way down?....is it a drop in blood pressure?....does having a pacemaker mean you should not pass out anymore?...when you pass out, does your heart stop beating during that time? Sorry....had an episode last night with a sudden drop in blood pressure. (Supposedly a medication reaction issue) just some curiosity questions. Thanks.....and Happy Holidays to all!

4 Comments

TraceyE

by bowlrbob - 2008-12-28 01:12:43

The pm can control blood pressure to some degree. If the rate drop response is turned on. I suffer from VVS this causes my heart rate to drop all of a sudden and with that hr drop the blood pressure goes down quickly and causes dizziness and fainting. My EP set my pm to recognize a rate drop of more than 25 beats during a prescibed # of seconds. When this happens the pm is programed to kick my heart rate up to 100bpm for 2 minutes. It then goes back to it's 70bpm setting. This raises the blood pressure back up quickly and you don't pass out. I don't even get a dizzy spell anymore. This was done for me almost 3 years ago. It is a Godsend I now have my life back. Bowlrbob

Syncope

by ElectricFrank - 2008-12-28 01:12:49

The usual cause for losing consciousness is a sudden drop in blood pressure with reduced blood flow in the brain. Common causes can be severe bradycardia (slow HR), a series of skipped beats, standing up from a low position, dilation of blood vessel walls due to emotional input, or medications.

It is hard to know for sure without monitoring. The problem is that you can't check your vitals when you are passing out.

hope this helps,

frank

Syncope

by bowlrbob - 2008-12-28 01:12:54

If it is a sudden faint it is usually a drop in blood pressure. A pacemaker can stop syncope in some patients. It just depends on what the cause of the syncope is. Your heart does not necessarily stop but it can again depending on the cause of the syncope.
I have VasoVagel syncope and when I passed out my heart did stop at times. I had 3 of those episodes the day I got my Pacer. Because it was stopping they did an emergency surgery to give me the pacer. I did pass out even with the pacer a few months later. That is when they diagnosed the VVS. So they turned on the rate drop response mode on my pacer. Now I have not passed out or even been dizzy for almost 3 years. Yaaaa-Hoooo. Bowlrbob

blood pressure

by Tracey_E - 2008-12-28 07:12:36

A pm will regulate your hr. A side effect of that may be that it regulates your bp also, but a pm cannot control your bp and it's possible to still have a drop and pass out.

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