Atrial Fibrillation Ablation on Gastric Motility "The AF Gut Study"

You are being scheduled to undergo an ablation procedure to treat your atrial fibrillation. Complications of ablation procedures include damage to structures near the heart from the heat energy used during the ablation procedure. These complications include damage to the esophagus (the tube through which food passes when you swallow) and stomach. A rare but often fatal complication resulting from severe heat damage is called an atrio-esophageal fistula (an abnormal connection between the heart and esophagus). However, the frequency of minimal damage to the esophagus or nerves of the gut that may go unnoticed are not known. This study is designed to determine how often atrial fibrillation ablation causes problems with the stomach and esophagus.