Abstract 15366: Brain Emboli After Left Ventricular Ablation

Introduction: Ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT) or premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) is common. Ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) has been shown to impose risk of subclinical cerebrothromboemboli (CTE), but whether these observations were due to something germane to AF or may occur with VT/PVC ablation remains unknown. Methods: We enrolled 18 consecutive patients scheduled for VT or PVC ablation over a 9-month period. Patients with implantable devices or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Patients underwent a standard ablation approach using irrigated radiofrequency ablation, including therapeutic heparin administration prior to LV access. Baseline and 1 day post-ablation brain diffusion-weighted MRI’s were performed in each patient. Results: LV ablation (10 for PVC and 2 for VT) was performed in 12 patients (retrograde and crossing the aortic valve in 11, transseptal only in 1) and RV-only ablation in 6 patients (5 for PVC and 1 for VT). In patients undergoing LV versus RV ablation,...