I seem to have misunderstood my cardiologist's information about Statistics on the rare complication of the dangerous esophageal fistula. I went from a rate of 1 to a hundred. In fact, thank goodness, the rate is much lower. After another conversation with my cardiologist, he explained the number to me. They were figures from the early years of ablation around 2014. And it came about because hospitals with very many procedures and hospitals with only a very few procedures appeared in a common set of statistics. In fact, those hospitals that performed ablation less often had much higher rates of serious complications than hospitals had much procedures. I can't say how sorry I am to have made people feel insecure here and apologize so much. I deleted the post so as not to create any more uncertainty. And I will never post anything here again without doing careful research first.
Please forgive me.
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dd111
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I thought that the ratio did not seem right but didn’t have time to cross check.
In fact ablations have been around for much longer than 2014 for example I had my first in 2009 and even then the procedure was well established.
It us very true that those hospitals who carry out many procedures each year have much better statistics. For example my hospital has 3 EP teams dedicated to using the Cath lab every week.
Don't beat yourself up. None of us are medical professionals and mistakes are made. That's why it's always good for anyone to check and double check everything you read here (and elsewhere) independently as well as with their doctor, especially when basing a medical decision on what they read. I always get an uneasy feeling when someone posts here and the response is something like "great, I'll do that" when the "that" is an important medical decision that should not be made based on one opinion here.
BTW you can go back to your original post and use the "edit" function and add a note to the effect that the data you were referring to is outdated.
There are lies, damned lies, and then there are statistics…….my daughter did a GCE in statistics and I think all school children should because they are notoriously difficult to understand.
I saw your original post and realised there was a mistake somewhere 🤨 - hope you didn’t get hammered too hard ❤️🩹
Stefan, it’s really kind of you to come and tell us that your dilemma has been resolved to your satisfaction and that you are more comfortable about proceeding with the procedure. Please don’t worry about it, it’s what we are here for…….l
I didn't see your original post. I don't think 2014 is "the early years" for ablation since a friend of my son has had, I believe, five, I think going back to the early 21C. His AF has just, unfortunately, again returned (he's 76) and he was told he can't have another but is having some tests now.
From what I gather, the latest mapping and imaging equipment allows the EP to be able to be very much more precise than in the past when carrying out the ablation and that the risks are truly minimal. I understand that there are three main areas of concern. In a few people, the oesophagus can press against the left atrium where heat from the catheter can transfer; in others, the atrial wall can be unusually thin; and in others, the area that needs ablating is close to the delicate pulmonary veins.
My own ablation was in the right atrium for atrial flutter, where these issues don't exist, but, if my AF worsened and I needed another ablation, those risks, as I have been told and have read of them, definitely wouldn't deter me. I would want to discuss them with my cardio/ EP though!
Thank you very much for your answers, these have also helped me a lot. I apologized so strongly because correct information is often so important, especially in the medical field, and I should have checked it better before. Thank you again, Ladies & Gentlemen, and all the best to all of you.
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Atrial Flutter and Fibrillation 
