This case report highlights that atrio-oesophageal fistula, a rare but lethal complication, can occur after biatrial cryomaze ablation for atrial fibrillation.
Fistula may occur after biatrial cryomaze; extends known risks but leaves open true incidence.
We report a case of an atrio-oesophageal fistula after biatrial cryomaze ablation for atrial fibrillation, a complication that has not yet been described in the literature for the cryomaze method. Our report also serves as a reminder of this rare but lethal complication- that it can occur after any method of ablation for atrial fibrillation and a high index of suspicion for its diagnosis must be maintained to allow for early surgical treatment which offers the best chance of survival.
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Wang et al. (2018) studied this question.
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