Is hospital admission valuable in managing syncope? Results from the STePS study.

The proper way to test the usefulness of hospitalization in syncope patients would be to conduct a randomized controlled trial. However, this approach is characterized by major theoretical and ethical limitations which make this procedure unfeasible. Data from observational studies indirectly show that hospitalization might help reduce the short-term risk of death and adverse events by promptly identifying and treating life-threatening events or conditions. Future research should focus on identifying which patients will benefit from hospitalization. In this regard, we should be able both to correctly risk-stratify patients and to analyze syncope observation units and protocols, which may provide a safe alternative for the evaluation of intermediate-risk patients.