Current Status of Esophageal Protection.

Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation necessitates ablation on the posterior left atrium. The anterior esophagus touches the posterior left atrium, although its course is highly variable. The proximity of the left atrium to the esophagus confers risk of injury with radiofrequency and cryoablation owing to the heat transfer that occurs with thermal ablation. Early detection of esophageal temperature changes with probes may decrease the extent of damage to the esophagus, but evidence is mixed. Avoiding ablation on the esophagus with esophageal deviation and modifying ablation approaches may decrease the risk of injury.
Competing Interests: Disclosure Dr V.Y. Reddy: Manual Surgical Sciences and Circa Scientific. Drs R. Bhardwaj and J.S. Koruth have nothing to disclose.
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