title: [Catheter ablation and the complications].
abstract: Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation has developed into a standard therapy and even in some cases as a first line therapy. This has resulted in a clear increase in the number of procedures in recent years. The published data from experienced centers indicate that the number of complications decreases with increasing experience; however, due to the parallel increase in the number of inexperienced centers, the average complication rate shows a tendency to increase. In the long term this necessitates a reliable quality assurance in order not to leave the choice of the "safe centers" up to the patient. Vascular complications are the most common, which in most cases have an uneventful course and do not necessitate further interventions. Particularly the incidence of ischemic stroke can be well-countered by strict control of periprocedural anticoagulation. The frequency of occurrence of phrenic nerve lesions, which are more common when selecting cryoenergy, can be reduced by stimulation of the phrenic nerve during ablation of the right pulmonary vein. The most feared complication of an atrioesophageal fistula is rare. No data for an effective avoidance of complications are available. A postprocedural therapy with proton pump inhibitors for 4-6 weeks, the intraprocedural measurement of esophageal temperature and reduction of the ablation energy on the posterior wall of the left atrium can possible help to reduce the frequency of complications.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Elektrophysiologie, III Medizinische Klinik, Herzzentrum der Universität zu Köln, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Köln, Deutschland. daniel.steven@uk-koeln.de.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Steven
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Elektrophysiologie, III Medizinische Klinik, Herzzentrum der Universität zu Köln, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Köln, Deutschland.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: van den Bruck
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Elektrophysiologie, III Medizinische Klinik, Herzzentrum der Universität zu Köln, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Köln, Deutschland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Plenge
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Elektrophysiologie, III Medizinische Klinik, Herzzentrum der Universität zu Köln, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Köln, Deutschland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lüker
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Elektrophysiologie, III Medizinische Klinik, Herzzentrum der Universität zu Köln, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Köln, Deutschland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sultan
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D013504:Cardiovascular Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004937:Esophageal Fistula / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control
keywords: Arrhythmias, cardiac; Atrial fibrillation; Complications, vascular; Phrenic nerve lesion; Stroke, ischemic