Sustained high quality of life in a 5-year long term follow-up after successful ablation for supra-ventricular tachycardia. results from a large retrospective patient cohort.

INTRODUCTION: The ablation of supraventricular tachycardias (SVT) using radiofrequency energy (RF) is a procedure with a high primary success rate. However, there is a scarcity of data regarding the long term outcome, particularly with respect to quality of life (QoL). METHODS AND RESULTS: In this retrospective single-center study, 454 patients who underwent ablation of SVT between 2002 and 2007 received a detailed questionnaire addressing matters of QoL. The questionnaire was a modified version of the SF-36 Health Survey questionnaire and the Symptom Checklist--Frequency and Severity Scale.After a mean follow up of 4.5+/-1.3 years, 309 (68.1%) of the contacted 454 patients (269 female, 59.2%, mean age 58+/-6.5) completed the questionnaire. Despite of 27% of relapses in the study group, 91.7% considered the procedure a long-term success. The remainder of patients experienced no change in (3.7%) or worsening of (4.7%) symptoms. There were no significant differences between the various types of SVT (p=1). QoL in patients with Atrio-Ventricular Nodal Reentry Tachycardia (AVNRT) and Atrio-Ventricular Reentry Tachycardia (AVRT) improved significantly (p<0.0005 respectively p<0.043), whereas QoL in patients with Ectopic Atrial Tachycardia (EAT) showed a non-significant trend towards improvement. Main symptoms before ablation, such as tachycardia (91.5%), increased incidence of tachycardia episodes over time (78.1%), anxiety (55.5%) and reduced physical capacity in daily life (52%) were significantly improved after ablation (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: The high acute ablation success of SVT persists for years in long term follow up and translates into a significant improvement of QoL in most patients.

Is electrical stimulation during administration of catecholamines required for the evaluation of success after ablation of atrioventricular node re-entrant tachycardias?

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to answer the question of whether stimulation after administration of catecholamines is mandatory for identifying unsuccessful ablations of atrioventricular node re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT). BACKGROUND: The success of radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation in AVNRT is confirmed in many centers by noninducibility of tachycardias during stimulation after the administration of catecholamines. METHODS: A total of 131 patients (81 women and 50 men; mean age 53.6 +/- 13.7 years [range 20 to 77]) were studied. Electrical stimulation was performed without and with the beta-adrenergic amine Orciprenaline (metaproterenol) before and after RF catheter ablation. RESULTS: In 100 patients (76.3%; confidence interval [CI] 68.1% to 83.3%) an AVNRT was inducible without administration of Orciprenaline. Thirty minutes after the initially successful ablation in 95 patients, tachycardia was inducible in none of these patients, not even after Orciprenaline administration. In the 31 patients (23.7%; CI 16.7% to 31.9%) in whom there was no tachycardia inducible before ablation, Orciprenaline was given, and the stimulation protocol was repeated. In only five patients (3.8%; CI 1.3% to 8.7%) was there still no tachycardia inducible. After an initially successful ablation in the 26 patients who had inducible tachycardias with Orciprenaline before ablation, no tachycardia could be re-induced. After Orciprenaline, the tachycardia was inducible again in only one patient. CONCLUSIONS: Only patients who require catecholamines for tachycardia induction before ablation need catecholamines for control of the success of the ablation of AVNRT.