A rare complication after radiofrequency catheter ablation in an adolescent case: skin burn

Abstract

Radiofrequency catheter ablation is a preferred treatment method for cardiac arrhythmias in children due to its high success rate and low complication risk. We present an adolescent patient who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation for Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome and developed a skin burn at the site of the electrode patch. Skin burns can catastrophic consequences, especially in patients with life-threatening arrhythmias; therefore, clinicians should be aware of this complication.

Radiofrequency catheter ablation of cardiac arrhythmias: Don’t get burned

“…Indeed, we identified only 5 other published reports on this subject, with a total of 12 patients sustaining burns. 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 In reality, this complication is likely under-reported, and the true incidence is difficult to ascertain. The most comprehensive publication, to our knowledge, reported a skin burn incidence of 0.28% (6 out of 2167 consecutive RFA procedures).…”