Delayed Cardiac Tamponade in Catheter Ablation for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Induced by a Subacute Hemorrhage

Delayed cardiac tamponade (DCT) is a rare (0.2%) complication of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF).1 A previous worldwide survey showed that the occurrence of DCT ranged from 0.2 to 45 days (median 12 days) after catheter ablation. However, occurrence of DCT more than 3 months after the procedure is particularly rare.2 Information regarding the time and mechanism of development of this complication remains unknown. Here, we present a patient who developed DCT as a complication 3 months after catheter ablation with subacute hemorrhage as the possible contributing factor.