Heart Rhythm
Heart Rhythm
5 years ago

Impact of Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation on Healthcare Utilization

Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) has been shown to reduce the number of recurrent shocks in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). However, it remains unclear how VT ablation affects post-procedural medical and pharmaceutical usage. Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate changes in healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) following VT ablation. Methods This large-scale, real-world, retrospective study used the MarketScan databases to identify patients in the U.S. with ICD or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) devices undergoing VT ablation. We calculated cumulative medical and pharmaceutical expenditures, office visits, hospitalizations, and ER visits in the one-year periods before and after ablation. Results 523 patients met the study inclusion criteria. Following VT ablation, median annual cardiac rhythm-related medical expenditures decreased by $5,408. Moreover, the percentage of patients with at least one cardiac rhythm-related hospitalization and ER visit decreased from 53% and 41% before ablation, respectively, to 28% and 26% after ablation. Similar changes were observed in the number of all-cause hospitalizations and ER visits, but there were no significant changes in all-cause medical expenditures. During the year prior to VT ablation, there was an increasing rate of HCRU, followed by drastic slowing following ablation. Conclusions This retrospective study demonstrates that catheter ablation appears to reduce hospitalization and overall health care utilization in VT patients with ICDs or CRT-Ds in place.

Publisher URL: www.sciencedirect.com/science

DOI: S154752711731202X

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