BACKGROUND: In recent years, numerous guidelines and expert consensuses have recommended that digital technologies and products, such as digital therapeutics (DTx), be incorporated into cardiac rehabilitation (CR). OBJECTIVE: The study aims to compare the cost-effectiveness of DTx for home-based CR (HBCR) with that of the conventional HBCR for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) after catheter ablation in a real-world clinical setting. METHODS: Based on a single-center, prospective, blinded, randomized, parallel controlled trial of DTx-based HBCR for AF patients after catheter ablation, 100 AF patients undergoing catheter ablation were selected and randomized at a 1:1 ratio into a UC group (conventional HBCR) and DT group (DTx-based HBCR). The intervention lasted for 12 weeks. Medical cost data and clinical efficacy data (VO2 max) were acquired from trial data. Effect data (QALYs, anxiety and depression status, health beliefs related to cardiovascular disease, and exercise self-efficacy) were obtained from a patient questionnaire. The cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted to assess the economic benefits of DTx-based HBCR versus conventional HBCR, and the robustness of the results was verified by sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: In the DT group (n = 49), the mean QALYs increased 0.119 +/- 0.09, VO2 max increased 9.3 +/- 8.0 mL/(min*kg), anxiety, depression, health belief, and exercise self-efficacy had improved, and the total medical cost was 75,080.55 +/- 19,746.62 CNY. In the UC group (n = 48), the mean QALYs increased 0.077 +/- 0.06, VO2 max increased 4.9 +/- 6.6 mL/(min*kg), anxiety, depression, health belief, and exercise self-efficacy had improved, and the total medical cost was 73,972.66 +/- 16,582.04 CNY. The difference in the medical cost was 1107.89 CNY, and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was 33,572.42 CNY/QALY, which was lower than the willingness-to-pay threshold of 85,698 CNY (China's per capita GDP in 2022). CONCLUSION: DTx-based HBCR is more effective and cost-effective than conventional HBCR.

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