SPC365

Catheter Ablation of Premature Ventricular Contractions Improves Quality of Life and Reduces Healthcare Utilization: A Real-World Cohort Study

Session: Sessão de Posters 37 - Estratégias avançadas em arritmias ventriculares e ablação
Speaker: Patrícia Bernardes

Congress: CPC 2026
Topic: C. Arrhythmias and Device Therapy
Theme: 08. Ventricular Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD)
Subtheme: 08.2 Ventricular Arrhythmias and SCD - Epidemiology, Prognosis, Outcome
Session Type: Posters Eletrónicos
FP Number: ---
Authors: Patrícia Bernardes; Leonor Parreira; Dinis Mesquita; Cláudia Encarnação; Duarte Chambel; Alexandra Gonçalves; Jéni Quintal; Catarina Pohle; David Campos; Marco Tomaz; Sara Gonçalves; Filipe Seixo

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">Background</span></strong></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) can cause significant symptoms and impaired quality of life (QoL). Catheter ablation is highly effective, but real-world data integrating arrhythmic outcomes with patient-reported measures remain limited.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">Purpose</span></strong></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">This study aimed to evaluate the impact of successful PVC ablation on QoL, symptom burden, arrhythmic outcomes, and healthcare utilization in a real-world cohort.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">Methods</span></strong></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">We conducted a retrospective, single-centre, observational before-and-after study including 103 consecutive patients (46% women; mean age 59 &plusmn; 16 years) who underwent successful PVC ablation between 2007 and 2025. Patients with unsuccessful ablation, alternative causes of symptoms, or death during follow-up were excluded. Clinical characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, &beta;-blocker and antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) use, and healthcare utilization were recorded. QoL was assessed using the EQ-5D-5L index, EQ-VAS, and the ASTA symptom questionnaire, administered via structured telephone interview. PVC burden was quantified by 24-hour Holter monitoring, and LVEF was measured echocardiographically before and &ge;6 months after ablation.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">Results</span></strong></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">Median PVC count decreased from 20,471 [IQR 13,247&ndash;34,379] to 23 [IQR 3&ndash;218] per 24 hours (p &lt; 0.001), corresponding to a burden reduction from 24.7% to 0.8% (p &lt; 0.001). Mean LVEF increased from 54 &plusmn; 9% to 56 &plusmn; 8% (p = 0.09). QoL improved significantly: EQ-5D-5L index 0.74 &plusmn; 0.16 &rarr; 0.85 &plusmn; 0.14 (p &lt; 0.001), EQ-VAS 67 &plusmn; 15 &rarr; 84 &plusmn; 15 (p &lt; 0.001), and ASTA symptom score 51.7 &plusmn; 14.7 &rarr; 29.2 &plusmn; 16.8 (p &lt; 0.001). AAD use declined from 36% to 8% (p &lt; 0.001) and &beta;-blocker use from 74% to 25% (p &lt; 0.001). Unplanned visits for palpitations decreased from 14.6% to 1% (p &lt; 0.001). Recurrence occurred in 13 patients (12.6%), yielding a sustained success rate of 87.4%.</span></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><strong><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">Conclusions</span></strong></span></span></p>

<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;,serif"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif">In this real-world cohort, catheter ablation of PVCs led to sustained improvements in quality of life, symptom burden, and arrhythmia control, with a marked reduction in healthcare utilization and medication use. These findings reinforce the patient-centred value of PVC ablation beyond arrhythmia suppression.</span></span></span></p>