Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40136157›Full record

ArticleArquivos brasileiros de cardiologia2025

Esophageal Protection Strategies for Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: Comparative Results of Consecutive Endoscopic Evaluation.

Alberto Pereira Ferraz, Cristiano Faria Pisani, Esteban Wisnivesky Rocca Rivarola, Tan Chen Wu, Francisco Carlos da Costa Darrieux, Rafael Alvarenga Scanavacca, Muhieddine Omar Chokr, Carina Abigail Hardy, Sissy Lara de Melo, Denise Tessariol Hachul and 2 more

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Alberto Pereira FerrazInstituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo. SP - Brasil.ORCID 0000-0001-9275-7673
Cristiano Faria PisaniInstituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo. SP - Brasil.ORCID 0000-0003-3457-1605
Esteban Wisnivesky Rocca RivarolaInstituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo. SP - Brasil.ORCID 0000-0003-3057-514X
Tan Chen WuInstituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo. SP - Brasil.
Francisco Carlos da Costa DarrieuxInstituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo. SP - Brasil.
Rafael Alvarenga ScanavaccaInstituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo. SP - Brasil.
Muhieddine Omar ChokrInstituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo. SP - Brasil.ORCID 0000-0001-6697-7074
Carina Abigail HardyInstituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo. SP - Brasil.
Sissy Lara de MeloInstituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo. SP - Brasil.
Denise Tessariol HachulInstituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo. SP - Brasil.ORCID 0000-0001-5338-3242
Beatriz Hachul de CamposHospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo. SP - Brasil.ORCID 0000-0003-0041-6666
Mauricio Ibrahim ScanavaccaInstituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo,São Paulo. SP - Brasil.ORCID 0000-0001-7327-2275

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAtrial-esophageal fistula following AF ablation remains a concern. There is no standardized approach to minimize its risk and morbidity.

objectiveTo present the seven-year experience of a systematic endoscopic surveillance of esophageal injury after AF catheter ablation.

methodsThis is a retrospective single center registry of systematic endoscopic evaluation after AF ablation in consecutive procedures performed from 2016 to 2022. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

results823 AF ablation with controlled esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) were analyzed. Most patients (n=588, 71.4%) were male, 575 (69.9%) had paroxysmal AF. Esophageal temperature monitoring was performed using a single sensor in 310 patients (40.3%) and a multi-sensor probe in 306 (39.8%). Lesions were presented in 217 EGD (26.5%): hematoma-ecchymosis in 27 (3.3%), erythema in 14 (1.7%), erosion in 78 (9.5%) and ulcer in 67 (8.2%) patients. No esophageal protective strategy was associated with more ulcers, except the use of 8mm tip-catheter (14.7% of ulcers with 8mm tip catheter vs 6.7% with other catheters, p = 0.001). Thermal lesions were early detected and treated. Most lesions were considered healed at endoscopy, but one patient who underwent pulmonary vein isolation with an 8m tip catheter had esophageal fistula, treated successfully with endoscopic metal clip and endoloop technique.

conclusionThe incidence of esophageal lesions at routine EGD following AF ablation is high, although in most of the cases they heal spontaneously. Patients who underwent ablation with the 8mm tip catheter had more severe thermal lesions. Early esophagus endoscopy may help the diagnosis of early-stage lesions and the prevention of fistula formation after AF ablation.

Indexed as

Atrial FibrillationCatheter AblationEsophageal FistulaEsophagusAgedEndoscopy, Digestive SystemFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPostoperative ComplicationsRetrospective StudiesTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID40136157
PMCPMC12013736

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.