Simplified method for esophagus protection during radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation--prospective study of 704 cases.

Introduction: Although rare, the atrioesophageal fistula is one of the most feared complications in radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation due to the high risk of mortality.

Objective: This is a prospective controlled study, performed during regular radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation, to test whether esophageal displacement by handling the transesophageal echocardiography transducer could be used for esophageal protection.

Methods: Seven hundred and four patients (158 F/546M [22.