Esophageal Injury and Temperature Monitoring During Atrial Fibrillation Ablation

• DOI: 10.1161/circep.108.789552
• Publication Date: 2008-06-10T00:26:34Z
• Authors: Sheldon M. Singh; Andre d'Avila; Shephal K. Doshi; William R. Brugge; Rudolph A. Bedford; Theofanie Mela; Jeremy N. Ruskin; Vivek Y. Reddy
• Keywords: Male; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Body Temperature; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Esophagus; 0302 clinical medicine; Monitoring, Intraoperative; Atrial Fibrillation; Catheter Ablation; Humans; Female; Burns; Intraoperative Complications; Follow-Up Studies; Retrospective Studies

Background— It is common practice to empirically limit the radiofrequency (RF) power when ablating posterior left atrium during atrial fibrillation ablation avoid thermal injury esophagus. The objective of this study was determine whether RF energy delivery limited by luminal esophageal temperature (LET) monitoring associated with a reduction in compared strategy limitation alone. Methods and Results— Eighty-one consecutive patients who underwent followed endoscopy were included observational study. All extraostial electric pulmonary vein isolation using an electroanatomic mapping system irrigated ablation. applications on 35 W. A commercially available, single-thermocouple probe used monitor LET subset (n=67). In these cases, promptly interrupted ≥38.5�C; further performed at reduced obtain <38.5�C. Esophageal 1 3 days after procedure. Ablation-related ulcerations identified 9 81 (11%) patients. asymptomatic. Of patients, occurred 67 (83%) observed more frequently (36% versus 6%, P <0.006) group without monitoring. Conclusions— These data suggest that may be