Fatal cerebral air embolism from atrio-oesophageal fistula following cardiac ablation

Pract Neurol. 2023 Oct 12:pn-2023-003915. doi: 10.1136/pn-2023-003915. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTA young woman with Rogers syndrome (thiamine-responsive megaloblastic anaemia, diabetes mellitus and sensorineural deafness) presented with headache, recurrent supraventricular tachycardia and features of an upper gastrointestinal bleed, 1 month after radiofrequency cardiac ablation for supraventricular tachycardia. She deteriorated rapidly after endoscopy and subsequently died. Brain imaging during the acute deterioration showed diffuse intracranial air embolism and hypoxic-ischaemic injury. Postmortem examination showed an atrio-oesophageal fistula, a rare complication of cardiac ablation. Clinicians should suspect this condition in patients with acute neurological deterioration after cardiac ablation who have diffuse air embolism on imaging.PMID:37827844 | DOI:10.1136/pn-2023-003915
Source: Practical Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: research