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. 2022 Dec;43(8):1857-1863.
doi: 10.1007/s00246-022-02924-x. Epub 2022 May 10.

Health Disparities in the Treatment of Supraventricular Tachycardia in Pediatric Patients

Meredith Sooy-Mossey  1 , Thomas Neufeld  2 , Taylor L Hughes  3 , M David Weiland  4 , Tracy G Spears  5 , Salim F Idriss  6 , Michael J Campbell  6
Affiliations

Health Disparities in the Treatment of Supraventricular Tachycardia in Pediatric Patients

Meredith Sooy-Mossey et al. Pediatr Cardiol. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a common pediatric arrhythmia. The objective of this investigation was to investigate the existence and degree of the health disparities in the treatment of pediatric patients with supraventricular tachycardia based on sociodemographic factors. This was retrospective cohort study at a large academic medical center including children ages 5-18 years old diagnosed with SVT. Patients with congenital heart disease and myocarditis were excluded. Initial treatment and ultimate treatment with either medical management or ablation were determined. The odds of having an ablation procedure were determined based on patient age, sex, race, ethnicity, and insurance status. There was a larger portion of non-White patients (p = 0.033) within the cohort that did not receive an ablation during the study period. Patients that were younger, female, American Indian/Alaskan Native, unknown race, and had missing insurance information were less likely to receive ablation therapy during the study period. In this single center, regional evaluation, we demonstrated that disparities in the treatment of pediatric SVT are present based on multiple patient sociodemographic factors. This study adds evidence to the presence of inequities in health care delivery across pediatric populations.

Keywords: Health equity; Pediatric cardiology; Race and ethnicity; Socioeconomic status; Supraventricular tachycardia.

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Conflict of interest statement

Author Disclosures: The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this case to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Race stratified by final type of SVT treatment during the study period.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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