ABSTRACT
A 58-year-old man was admitted to hospital following an episode of collapse in the street. He described stepping out of his car, feeling very light-headed and suddenly waking up on the pavement. His friend witnessed the event and said that the patient lost consciousness for 5–10 seconds and then awoke, without a period of confusion or drowsiness. The patient denied previous episodes of collapse, although he had felt light-headed on standing occasionally over recent days. There was no preceding chest pain or palpitations and the patient did not bite his tongue or lose consciousness. He had no past medical history and took no regular medications. He worked as a long-distance lorry driver and was a current smoker with a 50 pack year history.
