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

External Links

• Complications of cardiac ablation: ED presentations, evaluation, and management from emDocs

See Also

• Post-surgical complications