USE OF AN ESOPHAGEAL RETRACTOR TO PREVENT THERMAL INJURIES DURING ATRIAL FIBRILLATION ABLATION: A MULTI-CENTER EXPERIENCE

Background: Rapid and significant rise in esophageal temperature (ET) during radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) can be an indicator of an esophageal injury and limits our ability to achieve pulmonary vein isolation(PVI) by incomplete left atrial posterior wall (PW)ablation.