Diagnostic yield of the implantable loop recorder in octogenarians.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Syncope in octogenarians represents an important problem in terms of comorbidity, quality of life and substantial medical costs, resulting from studies and treatments. An implantable loop ecorder (ILR) may improve diagnostic performance. The objective of the study was to evaluate the results of the ILR in a population of octogenarians.

DESIGN: Prospective registry of patients receiving an implantable loop recorder in 40 Spanish centers.

PARTICIPANTS: 128 octogenarians implanted with a device for clinical evaluation of syncope.

METHODS: Prospective registry recording the incidence of new symptoms or device activations within the first year after the implant, the incidence of new diagnosis and treatments, and an evaluation of the safety of this strategy in this population. Dedicated database for the registry.

RESULTS: Forty-two patients (33% of the population) obtained a final etiological diagnosis of the syncope, which led to a specific treatment in 39 (31%) patients. No differences regarding the presence of conduction disturbances or structural heart disease were found in this population. A mortality of 4% was recorded during follow-up.

CONCLUSION: The implantable loop recorder seems to be an effective and safe tool in the management of syncope in the octogenarian population.