Acute Complications in Cardiac Electrophysiology Procedures: A Prospective Study in a High-volume Tertiary Heart Center

Several complications can occur during electrophysiology (EP) study and radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). In this study, we aimed to determine the frequency and types of complications following EP study and RF ablation in a tertiary cardiovascular center.
Between September 2012 and December 2012, patients undergoing RF ablation and EP studies were prospectively enrolled. Demographic and clinical data of the patients, as well as the underlying arrhythmia and indication for EP study, were recorded. Complications occurring during the procedure and admission period were documented.
A total of 382 procedures were performed in 357 patients with the mean age of 47 ± 18 years within the study period. The most common arrhythmia was atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (26.4%). Major complication happened in 10 (2.6%) procedures while minor complications occurred in 36 (9.4%) procedures. Tamponade was the most common major complication (n = 3 [0.7%]), and pericardial effusion was the most common minor complication (n = 19 [4.9%]). Patients with complication were significantly younger and had a lower ejection fraction (P = 0.003 and P = 0.02, respectively).
The complications observed in this study are comparable to previous reports, and EP study and RFCA can be considered as safe procedures.