Understanding Syncope at Its Core: A Comprehensive Guide to Identifying Types of Syncope and Current Management Approaches

The first workshop of the 13th Annual Scientific Meeting of InaHRS 2026, held in the Dubai Room, was titled “Inflammatory Cardiomyopathy: Arrhythmic Risk, Diagnosis, and Clinical Implications.” Course director Ignatius Yansen, MD, opened the event with a brief welcome address, encouraging participants to actively ask questions throughout the session.

The first session was led by Simon Salim, MD, on the topic “Understanding Syncope: Classification, Mechanisms, and Clinical Red Flags.” He explained how syncope accounts for 1–3% of emergency department visits to the importance of addressing the challenges of syncope particularly non-vasovagal syncope, which has the potential to lead to sudden death in patients.

The event continued with Ignatius Yansen, MD, who led a workshop on “Cardiac vs. Non-Cardiac Syncope: Rapid Recognition and Management.” Around 30 minutes, he explained about how to recognize risk stratification in syncopal events, including the review of past medical history. The first session concluded with a 15-minute interactive discussion between the speaker and participants, followed by a coffee break.

After the coffee break, Simon Salim, MD, held a workshop called “High-Risk Syncope: Identifying Patients Who Cannot Be Missed.” The session highlighted steps for identifying high-risk patients using diagnostic tools, as well as understanding patients’ symptoms and conditions and the steps for managing them.

The presentation shifted to Indah Aprianti Putri, MD, as a speaker on “Neurogenic Syncope,” workshop. She noted that heart rate and blood pressure can be monitored. The final session was led by Ignatius Yansen, MD, on the topic “Pacing for Vasovagal Syncope: The Role of Closed-Loop Stimulation Pacemakers.” Workshop participants gaining knowledge from the definition and pathophysiology to the symptoms of vasovagal syncope. Key aspects of taking a medical history also the Vasovagal Syncope Study (VASIS) classification were reviewed during this workshop.

At the end of the session, participants and speakers engaged in a discussion regarding the material that had been covered. This discussion was valuable for gaining a better understanding of neurogenic and vasovagal syncope in patients in the future.