Assessment of Metoprolol in the Prevention of Vasovagal Syncope in Aging Subjects

Syncope affects about 50% of Canadians, is the cause of 1-2% of emergency room visits, and probably is responsible for CDN $250 million in health care spending each year. It is associated with decreased quality of life, trauma, loss of employment, and limitations in daily activities. The most common cause is vasovagal syncope. This occurs in people of all ages, and is a lifelong predilection. While the median number of faints in the population is 2, those who come to the investigators care have a median 10-15 lifetime spells, and have an increased frequency in the year before presentation. Vasovagal syncope is due to abrupt hypotension and transient bradycardia, which cause cerebral hypoperfusion. The pathophysiology may be either failure of venous return or progressive vasodilation, both due to inappropriately low sympathetic outflow. Sympathetic stimulation might be involved early in the reflex cascade. There is no known medical treatment for frequent fainting. The investigators performed the pivotal CIHR-funded randomized trials that showed that neither permanent pacing, beta blockers, nor fludrocortisone help the majority of patients. However 3 observational studies suggested that beta blockers prevent syncope in older subjects, and the Prevention of Syncope Trial (POST1) showed in a prespecified, -stratified analysis that patients ≥42 years tended to benefit. The investigators recent meta-analysis showed a benefit from metoprolol in these patients, with a hazard ratio of 0.52 (CI 0.27 to 1.01), and an age-specific response to beta blockers (p = 0.007). These results suggest the need for a randomized clinical trial of metoprolol for the prevention of vasovagal syncope in older subjects. Accordingly,the investigators conducted a poll of 48 cardiologists and neurologists in Canada and abroad: 98% stated that a randomized trial was necessary, and 92% agreed to participate in such a trial. Separately, this study emerged as the first choice for syncope randomized t