Quality of life and costs of conventional therapy in patients treated by catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to assess quality of life, socioeconomic parameters, and costs of conventional therapy in patients treated by catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: The study included 160 patients treated by catheter ablation for AF who fulfilled a minimum of 2-year follow-up.
Quality of life using EQ-5D questionnaire, and days of hospitalization and working incapacity were evaluated before ablation and every 6 months after ablation. Further, one-year costs of conventional therapy for AF were assessed before and after ablation.
Results: Quality of life was significantly improved at each post-ablation stage. EQ-5D index increased from baseline 68+-14 to 76+-17 after 2 years (p<0.001), and EQ-VAS score from baseline 65+-17 to 71+-15 after 2 years (p=0.01).
Significant reduction was further observed in the count of hospitalization days and days of working incapacity (both p<0.01). The cost of conventional therapy per patient per year decreased from 49,337 Czech Crowns (1974EUR) before ablation to 16.504 (660EUR) and 13.576 CZC (543EUR) in the first and second post-ablation year, respectively.
Conclusion: AF ablation was associated with significant improvement in quality of life, and decrease in days of hospitalization and working incapacity. There was more than three-fold reduction in the costs of conventional therapy observed in the first two years after ablation.