Evaluation of Psychopathology in Patients Suffering from Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia One Year after Radiofrequency Catheterization Ablation

Overview

The assumption based on the experience of cardiologists and general practitioners is that in the group of patients suffering from paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia there is higher incidence of anxiety and depressive symptoms. Consistent data pertinent to the presented topic are therefore missing. The aim of this work was to validate the hypothesis that the average values of auto-evaluation psychiatric scales measured before and at least 11 months after the RFA change positively in patients with the PSVT (especially as far as the symptoms of depression and anxiety are concerned) and that their quality of life improves.

We have evaluated 16 patients with paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia by battery of autoevaluation questionnaires and inventories due to changes in anxiety and depression symptoms (BECK, ZUNG-SDS, SCL-90, SQUALA) after catheter ablation.

Based on the scores of administered self-assessment scales (BECK, SDS) the presence of depressive and anxious symptomatology was shown neither before nor after the procedure. Nevertheless, there appears to have been some improvement in the subjective state of the patients as shown by the statistically significant decrease in the value of the transformed PST score of the SCL-90 scale. The evaluation of the personality profile of the patients using the EPI-B did not find any predisposing personality type in connection to the PSVT.

The quality of life of patients after the RFA procedure was evaluated using the SQUALA questionnaire and improved statistically significantly only in two of 23 items – „sleep“ and „beauty and art“.

Key words:
paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, radiofrequency catheter ablation, psychopathology.