He had a history of syncope in the distant past in which he had collapsed on the floor for several seconds following hours of overtime work. Treadmill stress testing after the incident revealed no arrhythmia or ischemic disease, although he complained of dizziness after the test and a sudden drop in blood pressure was noted. At the time, he had been in poor physical condition with a sedentary lifestyle.
He was encouraged to exercise and remained free of symptoms until this episode.