Cardiac ablation complications
Background
- Procedure to address complicated arrhythmias (e.g. SVT, afib/flutter, WPW), typically after failing medical management
- Multiple catheters passed through vein/artery into heart, including mapping catheter and ablation catheter, the latter of which heats tissue (often near pulmonary veins) with the abnormal pathway, which is scarred to prevent transmission of abnormal signals.
- Complications include:
- Atrio-esophageal fistula: rare but deadly
- Delayed cardiac tamponade
- Stroke
- Atypical migraine
- Overall rate of major complications ~4% [1]
Clinical Features
Differential Diagnosis
Evaluation
Workup
Diagnosis
Management
Disposition
External Links
See Also
References
- ↑ Bertaglia E, Stabile G, Pappone A, Themistoclakis S, Tondo C, De Sanctis V, Soldati E, Tritto M, Solimene F, Grimaldi M, Zoppo F, Pandozi C, Augello G, Calò L, Pappone C. Updated national multicenter registry on procedural safety of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol. 2013 Oct;24(10):1069-74. doi: 10.1111/jce.12194. Epub 2013 Jun 25. PMID: 23799876.