Deglutition syncope causes a woman to pass out after eating a sandwich

Here’s a rare case of deglutition syncope.

MedPage Today reports a case study from The Lancet, where a woman kept fainting after swallowing, particularly after eating a sandwich or drinking carbonated beverages.

The diagnostic tests were non-revealing for about 10 years, until a cardiac event monitor was placed on the patient. Whenever she felt the symptoms, she would press a button and the device would record her heart rhythm.

It was found that she went into complete heart block during these instances. After a pacemaker was inserted, she now “could eat sandwiches with impunity.”

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