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Updated: Oct 27, 2025

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Cooling or Warming the Esophagus to Reduce Esophageal Injury During Left Atrial Ablation in the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: March 15, 2020
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Surgical Repair of Atrial-Esophageal Fistula Following Catheter Ablation
Junichi Shimamura1, Fuad Moussa1, Christopher Tarola1
1Division of Cardiac Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
|July 20, 2021
Abstract:
Left atrial-esophageal fistula after radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation is a rare and potentially lethal complication. Although surgical management is associated with improved outcomes, the optimal approach remains to be elucidated. We describe a case of atrial-esophageal fistula treated with a simultaneous repair of the atrium and esophagus via a right thoracotomy with an extrapericardial off-pump approach.

