Cardiac ablation is generally considered minimally invasive and relatively safe, but it does carry risks. The exact risk depends heavily on the type of arrhythmia being treated (such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, SVT, or ventricular tachycardia), the ablation technique, and your overall health.

Possible risks

More common or usually less serious

• Bruising, bleeding, swelling, or pain where the catheter enters—usually the groin.
• Damage to a blood vessel.
• Infection at the catheter site.
• Temporary irregular heartbeats or palpitations after the procedure.

Less common but potentially serious

• Blood clots or stroke. For atrial-fibrillation ablation, guidelines report a stroke risk around 0.8% during the first 30 days, although anticoagulation substantially reduces this risk.
• Heart perforation or cardiac tamponade, where blood accumulates around the heart and interferes with pumping. For AF ablation, reported rates of perforation/tamponade are approximately 0.4–1.5%