What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cohort. Population: Supraventricular tachycardia (n=59). Intervention: Catheter ablation vs. Pre-ablation baseline. Primary outcome: Physical functioning score (PedsQL) (Median difference 16.25, 95% CI 15.00-18.75, p=<0.001).

August 15, 2026Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology0 citationsOpen Access

Health-Related Quality of Life and Psychiatric Morbidity at Follow-up After Catheter Ablation in Children with Supraventricular Tachycardia

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

Catheter ablation was associated with significantly higher health-related quality of life scores at follow-up, including a 16.25-point median increase in physical functioning compared to baseline.

Q: What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychiatric outcomes in children and adolescents with supraventricular tachycardia during post-ablation follow-up.

TDTuğba DoğaçMalatya Turgut Özal Üniversitesi ÖEÖzlem ElkıranPediatric / Congenital Cardiology SMSerdar Akın MaraşPediatric / Congenital Cardiology

Key Result

Catheter ablation was associated with significantly higher health-related quality of life scores at follow-up, including a 16.25-point median increase in physical functioning compared to baseline.

Key Points

To evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychiatric outcomes in children and adolescents with supraventricular tachycardia during post-ablation follow-up.
Retrospective–prospective observational cohort study of N=59 pediatric patients (median age 13.0 years, Q1–Q3 10.0–15.0) who underwent successful catheter ablation for supraventricular tachycardia.
Collected pre-ablation HRQoL from medical records or caregiver recall, and conducted prospective DSM-5 psychiatric interviews and follow-up HRQoL assessments at a single follow-up visit.
Follow-up HRQoL scores across physical, emotional, social, and school domains were significantly higher than pre-ablation reference scores (all p < .001; Bonferroni threshold p < .0125, paired data n=53–54).
At follow-up, 18 of 59 participants (30.5%) met criteria for at least 1 DSM-5 psychiatric diagnosis, most commonly anxiety and depressive disorders, with 7 participants exhibiting 2 or more concurrent diagnoses.

Study Design

Type

Cohort (n=59)

Blinding

None

Multicenter

Structured PICO

Does successful catheter ablation improve health-related quality of life and what is the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in pediatric patients with supraventricular tachycardia?

Population

59 pediatric patients aged 5 to 17 years with supraventricular tachycardia who underwent successful catheter ablation, evaluated for quality of life and psychiatric outcomes during post-ablation follow-up.

Exposure

Successful catheter ablation for supraventricular tachycardia

Comparator

Pre-ablation reference period (retrospective HRQoL data from medical records or caregiver recall)

Outcome

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measured by PedsQL and psychiatric morbidity (DSM-5 diagnoses) assessed via structured clinical interview at a single post-ablation follow-up evaluationpatient reported

Pediatric patients with supraventricular tachycardia demonstrated improved health-related quality of life following successful catheter ablation, though 30.5% exhibited psychiatric morbidity during follow-up, highlighting the need for multidisciplinary care.

Main Result

Mean Difference: 16.25 (95% CI 15–18.75)

Absolute Event Rate: 65% vs 47.5%

p-value: p=<0.001

Limitations

Single center with a moderate sample size.
Outcomes assessed at a single post-ablation time point, precluding evaluation of longitudinal changes.
Lack of systematic pre-ablation psychiatric evaluation.
Pre-ablation HRQoL assessed retrospectively using a combination of documented medical records and caregiver recall, introducing potential recall bias.
Inclusion of only patients with acute procedural success, which may introduce selection bias.

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychiatric outcomes in children and adolescents with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) during the post-ablation follow-up period.Methods: This retrospective–prospective observational cohort study included pediatric patients who underwent successful catheter ablation for supraventricular tachycardia. Clinical and procedural data were collected retrospectively. Pre-ablation HRQoL data were obtained from either documented preprocedural assessments or caregiver recall when records were unavailable. Psychiatric interviews and post-ablation HRQoL assessments were conducted prospectively during a single follow-up evaluation.Results: A total of 59 pediatric patients participated in the follow-up evaluation and were included in the study; the median age was 13.0 years (Q1–Q3, 10.0–15.0). Depending on the HRQoL domain, paired preand post-ablation data were available for 53 or 54 participants. Follow-up scores for physical, emotional, social, and school functioning were higher than the retrospectively obtained pre-ablation reference scores (all p < .001; Bonferroni-adjusted significance threshold, p < .0125). At follow-up, at least 1 DSM-5 psychiatric diagnosis was identified in 18 participants (30.5%), most commonly anxiety and depressive disorders. Seven of these participants had 2 or more concurrent psychiatric diagnoses.Conclusion: Pediatric patients had higher HRQoL scores at post-ablation follow-up, and 30.5% met criteria for at least 1 psychiatric diagnosis. The HRQoL comparisons should be interpreted cautiously because baseline data were obtained from a combination of medical records and caregiver recall, informants were not fully standardized across assessment periods, and the exact interval between ablation and follow-up could not be reliably reconstructed.

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