Preventing Esophageal Injury During Left Atrial Radiofrequency Ablation

Ablation strategies for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias are becoming increasingly popular. In particular, catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation has evolved from an experimental approach to a widely available treatment option in many cardiac electrophysiology laboratories. Given that the esophagus is immediately contiguous to the posterior wall of the left atrium, the potential for esophageal injury exists during ablation treatment. Of particular concern are esophageal fistulas, which have been associated with a high mortality rate (Journal Watch Gastroenterology May 30 2006).

Investigators hypothesized that intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) could provide real-time imaging and allow for monitoring of esophageal injury during radiof…