Recipient

Heart Rhythm Society UK

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First report 3 Nov 2014•Latest report 3 Nov 2014

Recipient record

Reports, concerns and published responses

This page brings together reports naming this recipient and response statements clearly connected to concerns raised in those reports.

Reports
1

Naming this recipient

Published responses
0%

Found for named reports

Concerns addressed
0

Across all linked responses

Stated actions
0

Described in responses

Reports over time

Reports over time

Reports naming this recipient by issue year.

Evidence profile

Report topics

Share of this recipient’s reports compared with all other recipients.

0%published responses found
0stated actions described

Topic comparisons are not available in the current evidence snapshot.

Concerns and recipient responses

Statements from Heart Rhythm Society UK linked to the concerns in each report. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

  1. London (Inner South)

    AI-generated summary

    SANDRA HAZEL ELIZABETH HIGHAM · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Sandra Hazel Elizabeth Higham died at St Thomas's Hospital, London, on 7 December 2013 after developing an atrial-oesophageal fistula following an ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation. The principal concerns were that this rare but known complication can be difficult to diagnose because of non-specific symptoms and limited awareness, and that early diagnosis, prompt surgery and prolonged antibiotic therapy may be important for survival.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Heart Rhythm Society UK; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Lack of awareness among the wider medical profession of atrial-oesophageal fistula as an ablation risk

    Wider context from the report

    “(4) According to the literature there are no clear predictors of mortality from an atrial-oesophageal fistula, but early diagnosis, prompt surgical intervention and prolonged antibiotic therapy may be crucial for survival. (5) Diagnosing an atrial-oesophageal fistula can be difficult, especially in an acute medical setting, given its range of non-specific symptoms and duration of onset, and the lack of awareness within the wider medical profession of such a fistula being a risk of the ablation procedure. ”
    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Heart Rhythm Society UK; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Difficulty diagnosing atrial-oesophageal fistula in acute medical settings

    Wider context from the report

    “(4) According to the literature there are no clear predictors of mortality from an atrial-oesophageal fistula, but early diagnosis, prompt surgical intervention and prolonged antibiotic therapy may be crucial for survival. (5) Diagnosing an atrial-oesophageal fistula can be difficult, especially in an acute medical setting, given its range of non-specific symptoms and duration of onset, and the lack of awareness within the wider medical profession of such a fistula being a risk of the ablation procedure. ”
    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Heart Rhythm Society UK; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Risk of atrial-oesophageal fistula following ablation procedures

    Wider context from the report

    “(2) The development of an atrial-oesophageal fistula is a very rare, but known, risk of the ablation procedure (developing in around 0.01-0.2% of cases of percutaneous ablation and around 1-1.5% of cases of surgical ablation). (3) If an atrial-oesophageal fistula does develop, it has a very high mortality rate (reported to be 67-100%). ”
    Open source report
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Published response patterns

Compared with other recipients in reports included in PFD Monitor

Describes published response evidence, not performance.

Published responses found

0%
0%All other recipients 58%
0%100%

How actions were described at the time

This respondent
All other recipients
47%25%27%<1%<1%
  • Completed
  • In progress
  • Planned
  • Unclear
  • Partially completed

Statuses reflect what recipients said at the time. PFD Monitor does not verify whether actions happened.

Types of action described in responses

Percentages use all actions described by each group. An action may have more than one type, so percentages do not total 100%.

Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026