Secondhand smoke and breast health awareness among Vietnamese American families in California: A mixed-methods study.

In emergency department (ED) settings, supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) represents a frequently encountered condition, evidenced by approximately 50,000 annual visits in the United States (). This cardiac arrhythmia exhibits a prevalence rate of 2.25 per 1,000 individuals and an incidence rate of 35 cases per 100,000 patient-years (, ). Patients with isolated SVT frequently present to an ED for the initial event and are at risk for ED re-visits due to recurrent symptoms (). The risk of SVT is notably higher in women, with studies indicating that they represent 60.8% of palpitation-related presentations in U.S. EDs (, , ). Some sex-specific differences in SVT have already been documented in previous research. Existing studies show that AV Nodal Reentry Tachycardia (AVNRT) occurs more frequently in women, while AV Reentry Tachycardia (AVRT) or Atrial Fibrillation (AF) atrial flutter are more common in men (, –). The influence of hormonal or cyclical factors on SVT in women has been explored, with indications that most paroxysmal SVTs tend to occur during the premenstrual days (). Additionally, literature points to a delayed diagnosis of SVT in women compared to men, often due to initial misinterpretation of symptoms as panic or anxiety disorders (, , ). Furthermore, it has been described that women are more often primarily treated with antiarrhythmic medications rather than ablation therapy (, ). An observed trend in clinical practice involves a protracted interval prior to the initiation of first-line ablation therapy (–, ). Divergent findings are reported regarding the duration between the establishment of a diagnosis and the subsequent ablation intervention. Some studies describe an extended timeline (), whereas others report no significant difference in the time elapsed from accurate diagnosis to therapeutic intervention (, ). Similarly, discrepancies are noted in the recurrence rates post-ablation. Certain research indicates an elevated recurrence rate in younger female patients (), while other studies discern no disparity in the success rates or recurrence frequencies post-ablation (). In general, radiofrequency ablation has been demonstrated to be equally safe and effective across sexes (), with no discernible differences in access to healthcare resources or in health-related quality of life outcomes between male and female patients (). To the extent of our knowledge, the exploration of sex-specific disparities in the clinical manifestation of SVT is relatively limited. Existing data indicates that women generally exhibit a higher number of symptoms compared to men (). Variations have been observed in several parameters, including referral patterns, duration of arrhythmic episodes, socioeconomic status, and the array of symptoms presented (). Nonetheless, these differences have not been extensively detailed specified or quantified in the literature. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate potential differences in the clinical presentation of female and male patients with SVT at the ED of a tertiary care hospital. Additionally, it aimed to determine whether the previously described sex-specific variations, particularly in the context of follow-up treatment, can also be confirmed at the current hospital. A retrospective analysis was conducted including patients who suffered primarily from palpitations and visited the ED of a tertiary care hospital between 1st January 2019 and 31st December 2019. Patients were identified through a retrospective chart review of electronic emergency department records. All patients presenting with palpitations at the ED and diagnosed with one of the following conditions were included in the study: sinus tachycardia, atrial tachycardia, focal and multifocal tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, AVNRT and AVRT (Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome) and junctional ectopic tachycardia. All patients underwent continuous cardiac telemetry throughout their ED stay, ensuring that any transient arrhythmia, including paroxysmal SVT, was detected and documented in the medical record.