WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

A VERY small risk of stroke and bleeding (similar to other types of surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation).

NERVE damage (usually temporary).

‘THE results depend on the skill of the team and is usually done in large centres,’ says Duncan Dymond, a consultant cardiologist at Barts Health NHS Trust. ‘Early data suggests this technique may be less complex to carry out, so could in the long term be performed in local hospitals. However, none of these methods is risk-free.’