Abstract 155: Gender Differences In Patients With Ventricular Arrhythmias Undergoing Catheter Ablation

Significant differences in the clinical presentation and outcomes of cardiovascular diseases in men and woman have been described in the last few decades, including in management of cardiac arrhythmias. Recently, catheter ablation for ventricular arrhythmia (VA) has been shown to be highly effective at reducing ventricular tachycardia (VT) and premature ventricular contractions (PVC) burden, including reduction of VA episodes. Much of the published data has identified risk factors for VA recurrence, such as low LVEF, but have not included enough women for meaningful comparison of gender-based differences. The goal of this study was to examine gender differences in patients with ventricular arrhythmias who have undergone VA ablation. We conducted a retrospective analysis on a cohort of 115 patients receiving VA ablation at a tertiary hospital (54 pts for VT and 63 pts for PVC, 76 males and 39 females) to identify gender differences in patient characteristics at time of ablation. In the total group, there were 76 (66.1% males and 39 (33.9%) females, mean age - 59.6 +14.8 years; av. LVEF = 46.6% + 13.63%). Females were younger (52.2 vs 63.9 years) and had higher LVEF (53.7% vs 43.1%) as compared to men. History of pre-procedure ICD, ischemic heart disease and procedures, such as CABG or stent placement, were higher in men. Also, more males were diagnosed with hypertension and dyslipidemia. VT patients had lower LVEF and a higher proportion of males with worse pre-procedure characteristics than PVC patients. Hypertension and older age were observed among males in both PVC and VT groups. Overall, study results show female patients had less severe comorbidities, younger age and better LVEF. These findings can reflect differences in VA ablation outcomes as well as the selection of treatments for patients with VA.