Surgical TechniqueLeft atrial-esophageal fistula is a highly lethal complication of ablative therapy for atrial fibrillation. Because of its unusual rate of occurrence, there has not been a uniform approach to either the diagnosis or corrective therapy. We offer 1 such surgical option based on presumptive and early diagnosis—left atrial repair with cardiopulmonary bypass followed by repair of the esophagus with an omental wrap and supported with decompressive gastrostomy and feeding jejunostomy.CTSNet classification:24Atrial-esophageal fistula is an infrequent but reported complication of catheter and surgical radiofrequency ablation. Estimated incidence is 1 in 10,000 to 2 in 1000 in the medical literature [
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