Severe gastroparesis after catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: A case report and review of the literature

Radiofrequency catheter ablation is now widely performed to treat atrial fibrillation (AF). The present article describes a rare case of gastroparesis following a cardiac ablation procedure for AF. A 32-year-old man underwent a catheter ablation procedure by extensive circumferential pulmonary vein isolation to treat his symptomatic AF. Twenty-four hours after the procedure, the patient complained of abdominal pain, early satiety and vomiting, which lasted for three weeks, with weight loss of approximately 8 kg. A gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a large amount of retained food throughout the stomach with absence of structural changes, and an electrogastrogram revealed slow-wave abnormalities, suggesting delayed gastric emptying and gastroparesis. Therefore, cardiac electrophysiologists should be aware of gastroparesis as a rare complication following catheter ablation for AF.