Collateral damage from catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: Lessons learnt in the past decade

Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) has been increasingly performed over the past decade. Regardless of technological advances and technique improvement, catheter ablation for AF remains a highly complex procedure and the risk of procedural complications is not negligible. This article discusses the management and the approach to avoid the serious complications of catheter AF ablation including pulmonary vein stenosis, atrioesophageal fistula, cardiac tamponade, stroke and collateral nervous damage. The management of periprocedural anticoagulation and the complications associated with epicardial AF ablation are also described.