BAsel Syncope EvaLuation (BASEL IX) Study

NCT ID: NCT01548352

Last Updated: 2025-04-15

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Total Enrollment: 3500 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2010-04-30
• Study Completion Date: 2025-12-31

Brief Summary

Syncope is a major health problem. In the emergency department (ED), the management of patients with syncope still remains a clinical challenge because underlying diseases and prognosis can be extremely various. Structural heart disease and primary electrical disorders are major risk factors for sudden cardiac death and mortality in patients with syncope. In contrast, patients with reflex syncope and exclusion of structural heart disease have an excellent prognosis.

Therefore The investigators test the hypothesis that the use of a meticulous patient history, clinical examination and novel biomarkers can improve the rapid and accurate diagnosis of cardiac syncope in patients presenting to the ED and is able to improve risk stratification regarding adverse outcomes.

The prospective multicenter cohort study is designed to enroll 720 patients presenting with transient loss of consciousness within the last 12 hours to the ED. Blood samples for the measurement of novel biomarkers will be obtained at presentation.

All patients will be contacted by phone at 6, 12 and 24 months to determine major adverse events (death, resuscitation, recurrence of syncope, hospitalization for syncope).

Detailed Description

Background: Management of patients with syncope is a serious problem concerning 1-2% of emergency department (ED) visits. In 6-20% of these, syncope will be due to a cardiac origin. The rapid and accurate identification of these patients is an important unmet clinical need.

Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of patient's history, clinical judgement and novel biomarkers, alone or in combination, in the diagnosis and risk stratification of patients > 40 years of age presenting with syncope to the ED.

Patients and Methods: This prospective, observational, international multicenter study is initially designed to enroll 720 adult patients > 40 years presenting to the ED with syncope within the last twelve hours. Patient history will be standardized using a predefined form. Treating physicians will be asked to quantify their clinical judgment regarding the presence of cardiac syncope. Digital 12-lead ECG will be recorded at presentation and stored electronically. Blood samples for the measurement of novel cardiovascular biomarkers (including copeptin, pro-endothelin-1, pro-adrenomedullin, natriuretic peptides and high-sensitive cardiac troponins) will be obtained at presentation and stored anonymized. Patients will be contacted by phone at 6, 12 and 24 months to determine major adverse events (death, resuscitation, recurrence of syncope, hospitalization for syncope) and results of follow-up examinations. The final diagnosis will be adjudicated by two independent experts after review of all documents pertaining to the individual patient after 6 months. The primary endpoint is to assess the performance of a standardized form of patient's history, clinical judgment and biomarkers, alone and in combination, in the diagnosis of a cardiac syncope, as adjudicated by two independent experts. Secondary endpoints include the accuracy of the above cited items in prognostic stratification and the determination of the cost-effectiveness of the best approach.

Clinical significance: A more accurate and more rapid diagnosis and risk stratification of cardiac syncope can significantly improve patient management and therefore reduce patient morbidity and treatment cost. Overall, we expect this study to provide novel insights, holding important scientific, clinical and economic implications.

Conditions

Syncope

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Patients presenting to the emergency department
• Age > 40 years
• Syncope within the last 12 hours
• Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

• Age < 40 years
• Patients without loss of consciousness and with certain neurological causes (e.g. recurrent epilepsy, hemiplegia at presentation)
• No written informed consent

• Minimum Eligible Age: 40 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Swiss National Science Foundation

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Christian Mueller, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Locations

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, Texas, United States

Instituto Cardiovascular de Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires, , Argentina

Royal Brisbane and Women's hospital

Brisbane, , Australia

Klinikum Nürnberg

Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany

Sant'Andrea Hospital

Rome, , Italy

Christchurch Hospital

Christchurch, , New Zealand

Medical University of Silesia

Zabrze, , Poland

Hospital del Mar

Barcelona, , Spain

Hospital Clinic of Barcelona

Barcelona, , Spain

Hospital Universitario Clínico San Carlos

Madrid, , Spain

Kantonsspital Baselland

Liestal, Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland

Spital Lachen

Lachen, Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland

University Hospital Basel

Basel, , Switzerland

Luzern Kantonsspital

Lucerne, , Switzerland

University Hospital Zurich

Zurich, , Switzerland

Countries

United States; Argentina; Australia; Germany; Italy; New Zealand; Poland; Spain; Switzerland

References

Zimmermann T, du Fay de Lavallaz J, Walter JE, Strebel I, Nestelberger T, Joray L, Badertscher P, Flores D, Widmer V, Geigy N, Miro O, Salgado E, Christ M, Cullen L, Than M, Martin-Sanchez FJ, Di Somma S, Peacock WF, Keller D, Costabel JP, Wussler DN, Kawecki D, Lohrmann J, Gualandro DM, Kuehne M, Reichlin T, Sun B, Mueller C; BASEL IX and SRS Investigators. Development of an electrocardiogram-based risk calculator for a cardiac cause of syncope. Heart. 2021 Nov;107(22):1796-1804. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2020-318430. Epub 2021 Jan 27.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 33504514 (View on PubMed)

Zimmermann T, du Fay de Lavallaz J, Nestelberger T, Gualandro DM, Strebel I, Badertscher P, Lopez-Ayala P, Widmer V, Freese M, Miro O, Christ M, Cullen L, Than M, Martin-Sanchez FJ, Di Somma S, Peacock WF, Keller DI, Boeddinghaus J, Twerenbold R, Wussler D, Koechlin L, Walter JE, Burgler F, Geigy N, Kuhne M, Reichlin T, Lohrmann J, Mueller C. Incidence, characteristics, determinants, and prognostic impact of recurrent syncope. Europace. 2020 Dec 23;22(12):1885-1895. doi: 10.1093/europace/euaa227.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 33038231 (View on PubMed)

Badertscher P, du Fay de Lavallaz J, Hammerer-Lercher A, Nestelberger T, Zimmermann T, Geiger M, Imahorn O, Miro O, Salgado E, Christ M, Cullen L, Than M, Martin-Sanchez FJ, Di Somma S, Peacock WF, Keller DI, Costabel JP, Walter J, Boeddinghaus J, Twerenbold R, Mendez A, Gospodinov B, Puelacher C, Wussler D, Koechlin L, Kawecki D, Geigy N, Strebel I, Lohrmann J, Kuhne M, Reichlin T, Mueller C; BASEL IX Investigators. Prevalence of Pulmonary Embolism in Patients With Syncope. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019 Aug 13;74(6):744-754. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.06.020.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 31395124 (View on PubMed)

du Fay de Lavallaz J, Badertscher P, Nestelberger T, Zimmermann T, Miro O, Salgado E, Christ M, Geigy N, Cullen L, Than M, Javier Martin-Sanchez F, Di Somma S, Frank Peacock W, Morawiec B, Walter J, Twerenbold R, Puelacher C, Wussler D, Boeddinghaus J, Koechlin L, Strebel I, Keller DI, Lohrmann J, Michou E, Kuhne M, Reichlin T, Mueller C; BASEL IX Investigators. B-Type Natriuretic Peptides and Cardiac Troponins for Diagnosis and Risk-Stratification of Syncope. Circulation. 2019 May 21;139(21):2403-2418. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.038358. Epub 2019 Feb 25.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 30798615 (View on PubMed)

du Fay de Lavallaz J, Badertscher P, Nestelberger T, Isenrich R, Miro O, Salgado E, Geigy N, Christ M, Cullen L, Than M, Martin-Sanchez FJ, Bustamante Mandrion J, Di Somma S, Peacock WF, Kawecki D, Boeddinghaus J, Twerenbold R, Puelacher C, Wussler D, Strebel I, Keller DI, Poepping I, Kuhne M, Mueller C, Reichlin T; BASEL IX Investigators; Gimenez MR, Walter J, Kozhuharov N, Shrestha S, Mueller D, Sazgary L, Morawiec B, Muzyk P, Nowalany-Kozielska E, Freese M, Stelzig C, Meissner K, Kulangara C, Hartmann B, Ferel I, Sabti Z, Greenslade J, Hawkins T, Rentsch K, von Eckardstein A, Buser A, Kloos W, Lohrmann J, Osswald S. Prospective validation of prognostic and diagnostic syncope scores in the emergency department. Int J Cardiol. 2018 Oct 15;269:114-121. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2018.06.088. Epub 2018 Jun 21.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 30224031 (View on PubMed)

Badertscher P, Nestelberger T, de Lavallaz JDF, Than M, Morawiec B, Kawecki D, Miro O, Lopez B, Martin-Sanchez FJ, Bustamante J, Geigy N, Christ M, Di Somma S, Peacock WF, Cullen L, Sarasin F, Flores D, Tschuck M, Boeddinghaus J, Twerenbold R, Wildi K, Sabti Z, Puelacher C, Rubini Gimenez M, Kozhuharov N, Shrestha S, Strebel I, Rentsch K, Keller DI, Poepping I, Buser A, Kloos W, Lohrmann J, Kuehne M, Osswald S, Reichlin T, Mueller C. Prohormones in the Early Diagnosis of Cardiac Syncope. J Am Heart Assoc. 2017 Dec 14;6(12):e006592. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.117.006592.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 29426039 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

BASEL IX

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id