Tilt table testing is used to help diagnose patients who have experienced unexplained episodes of fainting (syncope).
You will be asked to lie on specially designed bed, which is then tilted from a horizontal position to an angle of sixty degrees (head up). Your heart rate, blood pressure and symptoms will be monitored throughout the process, to see how your body reacts to changes in position.
A tilt table test usually takes 1-2 hours to complete depending on how things progress. You may not show any symptoms of fainting straight away, so your doctor will work through a set of stages to get the answers needed in one visit where possible.
If you show no symptoms of fainting within the first twenty minutes, the doctor will use drugs to to lower your blood pressure, and then continue to record data for another twenty minutes. If there are still no symptoms after forty minutes, the doctor will then perform a carotid sinus massage to provoke a response. This involves gently massaging the carotid artery on one side of the neck, and monitoring your heart rhythm and blood pressure in response.
It is an outpatient procedure, so no overnight stay in hospital is required.
Why choose Bupa Cromwell Hospital for your Tilt Table Test?
Tilt Table Testing is carried out in our diagnostic centre in a dedicated room.
You’ll be closely monitored by our highly-trained heart specialists, who will make sure you are comfortable throughout.
How do I pay for treatment?
We welcome both insured and self-pay patients as well as company and embassy sponsored patients.
