Tuğba DOĞAÇ, Özlem ELKIRAN, Serdar Akın MARAŞ, Mehmet ÖNCÜL, Özlem DOĞAN
Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology - 2026;36(4):373-381
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 pre-procedural 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 pre- and 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.
