Impact of radiofrequency ablation on health-related quality of life in patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia compared with a norm population one year after treatment

ObjectiveThis study evaluated the impact of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT).MethodsHRQOL was assessed with the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) and EuroQol (EQ)-5D at baseline and 3 and 12 months after RFA. At 12 months, the patients were compared with an age- and gender-matched reference group.ResultsPatients showed a marked improvement in all the SF-36’s scales at 3 months after treatment compared with baseline. Patients scored higher in all scales in the SF-36 but not in the EQ-5D’s index at 12 months compared with baseline. No further improvements were detected from 3 to 12 months follow-up. Twelve months after treatment, patients scored equal to the reference group in the SF-36 and EQ-5D index, indicating a complete restoration of the HRQOL after RFA.ConclusionPSVT is a condition with a pronounced impact on HRQOL. At 12 months follow-up after RFA, patients’ HRQOL scores were similar to those of the age- and gender-matched reference group.