What are the most common post-ablation complications with A fib?

The most common complication of ablation for atrial fibrillation is cardiac tamponade, a dramatic or gradual drop in blood pressure. Cardiac tamponade does not occur often and can be easily reversed or treated.  Another post-ablation complication is pulmonary vein (PV) stenosis, or thermal heat damage to your PV muscle,  which produces symptoms such as cough, chest pain, dyspnea and  recurrent lung infections. Atrial-esophageal fistula, or damage to the esophageal wall, is one of the most serious complications of A-fib ablation procedure.  With this complication, you will have symptoms two to four weeks after ablation, which may include fever, chills, or in the most severe cases, septic shock. Talk to your doctor about these and other post-ablation complications so you know what symptoms to watch for once you are released from the hospital.