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Europace 2003 5(4):351-355; doi:10.1016/S1099-5129(03)00089-8
© 2003 by European Society of Cardiology
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Comparison of generic health survey SF-36 and arrhythmia related symptom severity check list in relation to post-therapy AF recurrence

A. Berkowitsch, T. Neumann, K. Kurzidim, C. Reiner, M. Kuniss, G. Siemon, J. Sperzel and H. F. Pitschner

Kerckhoff-Clinic, Department of Cardiology Bad Nauheim, Germany

AIM: The effect of applied therapy on quality of life (QoL) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) was investigated in recent studies. However, no information on clinical relevance of QoL assessing instruments in relation to post-ablation recurrence of AF is currently available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical relevance of SF-36 and Arrhythmia Related Symptom Severity Check List (SSCL) to post-procedure AF recurrences in patients with paroxysmal AF undergoing pulmonary vein isolation (PVI).

METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixty consecutive patients with AF were enroled in the study. The QoL was measured using SF-36 scale and SSCL. The questionnaires were administered at baseline then 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after the procedure. In order to define statistical power in relation to AF recurrence the scores were dichotomized. Positive and negative predictive accuracy (PPA, NPA) and test efficiency (sum of PPA and NPA) were calculated. Twenty-one out of 60 patients experienced a total of 66 recurrences of AF during follow-up. The parameters of SF-36 provided maximum test efficiency of 1.36, whereas the test efficiency of SSCL was 1.79.

CONCLUSION: We conclude that SSCL is more specific instrument for a measurement of PVI success or failure.

Key Words: Atrial fibrillation, catheter ablation, quality of life, pulmonary vein isolation

Correspondence: Alexander Berkowitsch, PhD, Kerckhoff-Clinic, Department of Cardiology, Benekestraße 2-8, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany. Tel.: +49-6032-996-2279; Fax: +49-6032-996-2236. E-mail: alexander.berkowitsch{at}kerckhoff.med.uni-giessen.de


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