What is tilt table evaluation?
Doctors at Boston Children’s use tilt table evaluation to identify the cause of your child’s fainting. During a tilt table evaluation, your child lies flat on a special bed while connected to blood pressure and EKG monitors. The bed changes position from standing to lying flat to test for differences in reaction between the two.
What are some possible causes of fainting?
Repeated fainting can have various causes.
- vasovagal syndrome: a sudden drop in blood pressure caused by nerve dysfunction
- arrhythmia: heart rate that’s too fast, slow, or irregular to maintain adequate blood flow
- valve disease: malfunction of heart valves
- cardiomyopathy: chronic heart abnormality
- myocarditis: acute inflammation of the heart
How do I prepare my child for tilt table evaluation?
Please have your child come in with an empty stomach. She should not eat for at least eight hours before the test.
How will I get the results?
Your child’s results will be evaluated with a member from the cardiology department, or your child’s regular cardiologist. If the test does not cause a fainting episode and/or the EKG and blood pressure readings are normal, further tests may be necessary.
How Boston Children’s Hospital approaches tilt table evaluation
Causes of fainting are usually determined via EKG; Boston Children’s performs more than 20,000 EKGs a year. Because frequent fainting can be a sign of a larger cardiovascular issue, Boston Children’s researchers take fainting very seriously. Fainting during exercise is the most serious; to that end, Boston Children’s‘ unique program in Exercise Physiology performs more than 1,900 exercise tests a year.
Tilt Table Evaluation | Programs & Services
Programs
Boston Adult Congenital Heart (BACH) and Pulmonary Hypertension
Program
The Boston Adult Congenital Heart (BACH) and Pulmonary Hypertension Program offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient clinical services to adults with congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension.
Learn more about Boston Adult Congenital Heart (BACH) and Pulmonary Hypertension
Cardiomyopathy Program
Program
The Cardiomyopathy Program has a number of cardiomyopathy experts who regularly evaluate and care for babies, children and teens with this cardiomyopathy.
Cardiology Outpatient Services
Program
Our clinic provides comprehensive evaluation and coordinated care for infants, children, and adults with various heart, and heart-related illnesses, diseases, and conditions.
Departments
Cardiac Imaging
Department
The Division of Cardiac Imaging serves children and adults with congenital heart disease.
Cardiology
Department
The Department of Cardiology at the Benderson Family Heart Center is the largest pediatric cardiology center in the United States and one of the most specialized in the world.
Centers
Benderson Family Heart Center
Center
The Benderson Family Heart Center treats the full spectrum of heart disorders, including the rarest and most complex congenital heart defects.