Does catheter ablation improve health-related quality of life and attention-behavioral outcomes in pediatric patients with symptomatic supraventricular tachycardia?
Catheter ablation for pediatric SVT significantly improves health-related quality of life, though ongoing psychosocial assessment is warranted due to prevalent psychiatric and attention-behavioral symptoms.
Background: Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is the most common symptomatic arrhythmia in childhood and may negatively affect physical, emotional, and psychosocial functioning. Although catheter ablation is an established treatment for SVT, most outcome studies have focused primarily on rhythm control rather than broader psychosocial recovery. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following catheter ablation in children with symptomatic SVT and to characterize attention–behavioral outcomes at follow-up. Methods: In this retrospective–prospective observational cohort study, pediatric patients aged 4–17 years who underwent successful catheter ablation between January 2022 and June 2025 were included. HRQoL was assessed using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™), while psychiatric diagnoses were determined using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) interview and attention–behavioral symptoms were evaluated using the Disruptive Behavior Disorders Scale (DBDS). Results: A total of 59 patients (median age 13 years; 57.6% girls) were included. Significant improvements were observed across all HRQoL domains after ablation (all p < 0.001), with large effect sizes indicating substantial gains in patient-reported functioning. At follow-up, 30.5% of participants met criteria for at least one psychiatric diagnosis, most commonly anxiety disorders. Boys demonstrated significantly higher inattention scores than girls (p = 0.008), and age was positively associated with inattention and conduct-related symptoms. Conclusions: Catheter ablation for pediatric SVT was associated with marked improvements in HRQoL, supporting its benefits beyond rhythm control. However, a meaningful proportion of patients exhibited psychiatric or attention–behavioral symptoms at follow-up. These findings highlight the importance of integrating psychosocial assessment into the clinical follow-up of children undergoing arrhythmia treatment.
Doğaç et al. (Tue,) studied this question.