What is the medical term for fainting caused by a vasovagal response?

The medical term for fainting induced by a vasovagal response is neurocardiogenic syncope. This term specifically refers to the transient loss of consciousness that occurs due to a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure, often triggered by a stressful or painful event, leading to reduced blood flow to the brain. The vasovagal response plays a crucial role in this condition, where the body’s autonomic nervous system overreacts to certain stimuli, affecting heart rate and vascular tone. This results in syncope as the brain temporarily receives insufficient blood and oxygen.

In contrast, orthostatic hypotension refers to a significant drop in blood pressure when a person stands up, which can cause dizziness or fainting but is not directly linked to the vasovagal mechanism. Ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest involve serious cardiac arrhythmias and are medical emergencies, not related to the non-life-threatening syncope associated with vasovagal responses. Thus, the specificity of neurocardiogenic syncope to this type of fainting distinguishes it as the correct term.