Reliable temperature probe monitoring - Favorable esophageal motion for consistent probe contact during atrial fibrillation catheter ablation

Left atrial-esophageal (LA-Eso) fistula is now a well-recognized and fatal complication of percutaneous catheter ablation performed using radiofrequency energy for atrial fibrillation (AF). We noted an important esophageal motion during temperature monitoring by a multipolar sensing probe, which could resolve several potential concerns of accurate esophageal temperature measurement and could consequently minimize esophageal injuries including LA-Eso fistulas during catheter ablation for AF. (C) 2013 Japanese Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.