An avoidable cause of cardioembolic stroke.

Left Atrial Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation is safe and effective for most patients. However a rare complication is thermal damage to the integrity of the normal physical barriers between the left atrium and the adjacent oesophagus due to the ablation process. This can lead to formation of an Atrial-Oesophageal fistula with sepsis, haemorrhage and systemic cardioembolism occurring even up to 2 months post procedure.