Syncope:
Syncope (SINK-a-pee) is another word for fainting or passing out. Someone is considered to have syncope if they become unconscious and go limp, then soon recover. For most people, syncope occurs once in a great while, if ever, and is not a sign of serious illness. However in others, syncope can be the first and only warning sign prior to an episode of sudden cardiac death. Syncope can also lead to serious injury. Talk to your physician if syncope happens more often. [Johns Hopkins Medicine]
Noted in “For decades, she endured brief blackouts. Then a scary one hit her.”, Sandra G. Boodman, WaPo:
Weeks later Ryan underwent a catheter ablation, a minimally invasive treatment for an elevated heart rate. Before the ablation, which was performed in Pittsburgh where her parents live, Ryan was given a tilt table test. She was strapped to an exam table that measures changes in blood pressure and heart rate as it is repositioned. The test is used to help determine the cause of unexplained fainting, also known as syncope.
