[The tilt test enhanced with oral nitroglycerin in patients with unexplained syncope: the Italian Protocol. The Working Group on Syncope of the Associazione Italiana di Aritmologia e Cardiostimolazione--the Arrhythmia Area of the Associazione Nazionale Medici Cardiologi Ospedalieri].
The head-up tilt testing potentiated with oral nitroglycerin, devised by an Italian group, is a simple, safe and powerful, but still not a standardized, diagnostic tool. In fact, owing to its rapid diffusion, the original protocol received, often arbitrarily, subsequent modifications. Thus a task force of experienced cardiologists defined the best methodology for the test on strictly evidence-based criteria. Particular attention was reserved to some controversial topics, such as the tilting angle, the duration of the passive and pharmacological stages of the test, the type and dosage of the drug utilized. We hope that the enclosed protocol, named by us as "The Italian Protocol", will be accepted as the standard methodology of the head-up tilt testing potentiated with oral nitrates.
Bartoletti
A
A
Unità Operativa di Cardiologia, Ospedale Santa Maria Annunziata, Firenze. bartoletti@dada.it
Alboni
P
P
Ammirati
F
F
Brignole
M
M
Del Rosso
A
A
Foglia Manzillo
G
G
Menozzi
C
C
Raviele
A
A
D000284:Administration, Oral; D002309:Cardiology; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D005996:Nitroglycerin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012955:Societies, Medical; D013575:Syncope / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018667:Tilt-Table Test / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage
D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D005996:Nitroglycerin