Gender-related differences in outcomes and resource utilization in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation of supraventricular tachycardia: results from Patients' Perspective on Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of AVRT and AVNRT Study

Aims The aim of this study was to describe gender-related differences in clinical presentation, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) outcomes, and healthcare resource utilization in a group of patients with atrioventricular nodal reciprocating tachycardia (AVNRT) and atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia (AVRT). Methods and results This was a single-centre, prospective, cohort study which enroled 82 patients undergoing RFA of AVNRT or AVRT. At baseline, all patients received a clinical assessment and completed questionnaires concerning: socioeconomic status, disease-specific symptoms (Patient Perception of Arrhythmia Questionnaire; PPAQ), health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (EQ-5D-3L), and healthcare resource utilization. Two months after RFA, the clinical assessment was repeated and subjects completed PPAQ and EQ-5D-3L. Follow-up was completed by 64 patients, 41 (64%) women. At baseline, there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics, except AVNRT prevalence, and HRQoL by gender but women reported higher severity of symptoms on PPAQ than men (2.8 vs. 2.4 points, P < 0.001). At 2 months after RFA, women still reported higher severity of symptoms (1.8 vs. 0 points; P = 0.02) on PPAQ and more heart skipping than men (54 vs. 13%; P = 0.0014); differences in EQ-5D-3L index and EQ-VAS were insignificant. There was no significant difference in healthcare resource utilization during the year preceding RFA, but antiarrhythmic drugs were significantly more often prescribed to women pre-procedure (30 vs. 8%; P = 0.022). Conclusion There is a small but significant gender-related difference in outcome of RFA in patients with AVNRT or AVRT measured with a disease-specific instrument. No significant difference in HRQoL or access to healthcare resources between women and men was found.