title: 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.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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).
  
  
  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).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: II Department of Coronary Artery Disease, Institute of Cardiology, Spartanska 1, Warsaw 02-637, Poland mfarkowski@ikard.pl.
authors.forename: Michal Miroslaw
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Farkowski
authors.affiliation: II Department of Coronary Artery Disease, Institute of Cardiology, Spartanska 1, Warsaw 02-637, Poland.
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pytkowski
authors.affiliation: II Department of Coronary Artery Disease, Institute of Cardiology, Spartanska 1, Warsaw 02-637, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maciag
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1b, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Golicki
authors.affiliation: Duke University School of Nursing, 307 Trent Drive, DUMC Box 3322, Durham, NC 27710.
authors.forename: Kathryn Alice
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: II Department of Coronary Artery Disease, Institute of Cardiology, Spartanska 1, Warsaw 02-637, Poland.
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kowalik
authors.affiliation: II Department of Coronary Artery Disease, Institute of Cardiology, Spartanska 1, Warsaw 02-637, Poland.
authors.forename: Rafal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuteszko
authors.affiliation: II Department of Coronary Artery Disease, Institute of Cardiology, Spartanska 1, Warsaw 02-637, Poland.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Szwed
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland; D015995:Prevalence; D040841:Resource Allocation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013617:Tachycardia, Supraventricular / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014600:Utilization Review
keywords: Gender; Healthcare resources; Outcomes; Radiofrequency ablation; Supraventricular tachycardia; Symptoms, Quality of life