Postural Sway and Counterpressure Maneuvers for Pediatric Syncope

Launched by SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY · Nov 21, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at ways to help children who experience fainting, especially those with conditions like vasovagal syncope or postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). The researchers want to see if certain movements, like swaying, crossing legs, crouching, and tensing muscles in the lower body, can help improve blood flow and blood pressure during fainting episodes. They will be measuring how the body responds to these movements in terms of blood pressure and blood flow, and will also collect information about the children's height, weight, and development stage.

To join the study, children aged 6 to 18 who have fainted at least twice in the last year may be eligible, as long as their fainting is related to the conditions mentioned. However, those with specific heart problems, certain medical conditions, or who are pregnant cannot take part. Participants will need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to ensure everyone's safety. If eligible, children can expect to participate in tests to assess their cardiovascular responses and help researchers learn more about effective strategies for managing fainting.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • We are looking for English speaking pediatric patients aged 6-18 years with a diagnosis of recurrent fainting (at least two episodes of fainting with loss of consciousness or near loss of consciousness in the last year) of a vasovagal origin or associated with the postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) (as determined by a paediatric cardiologist) to take part in this study.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• Those with a diagnosis of recurrent fainting accompanied by any of the following will not be eligible to take part:
• Known history of:
• • Suspected or confirmed cardiac arrhythmia (e.g., Wolff-Parkinson-White, Long QT)
• • Traumatic head injury
• • New presentation of a seizure disorder OR epilepsy recurrence
• • Overdose or intoxication
• • Structural heart disease
• • Cardiovascular disease including hypertension, diabetes, or renal disease
• • Hypoglycemia
• • Physical and/or psychological disability that impact their ability to complete the tests
• • Female participants of childbearing age will be excluded if they are pregnant, or think they might be. Participants who are taking any cardiovascular acting medications, including treatment for cardiovascular disease, or medications for orthostatic syncope (e.g. fludrocortisone, slow-release sodium chloride, β-blockers, midodrine) will be excluded from the study.
• • In order to reduce the likelihood of transmission of COVID-19, participants will only be eligible to participate in the study if they have received full immunisation against COVID-19 according to current Health Canada guidelines. Accordingly, participants will be asked to provide evidence of their vaccination status in order to take part in the study.