Routine echocardiography after radiofrequency ablation: to flog a dead horse?

Aims Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is frequently used to treat sustained arrhythmias. One major complication is pericardial effusion-tamponade. Therefore, many centres perform echocardiography after interventions, but data on necessity of such routine procedures are scarce. Methods and results We included 510 patients with RFA and compared echocardiographic results acquired before and 20 mm, or tamponade (>20 mm with haemodynamic compromise). Age was 55 ± 16 years, 40% were females. Thirty-five percentage underwent RFA for atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT), 28% for atrial flutter, 15% for atrial fibrillation (AF), 12% for Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, and 10% for different other arrhythmias. In 16 patients (3.2%), small asymptomatic effusions were detected. The only moderate effusion was suspected due to procedure circumstances. Radiofrequency ablation for AF had a higher incidence compared to AVNRT and flutter (P = 0.001 and