This post from an atrial fibrillation support group:
“I had an ablation at Johns Hopkins this past week and am very upset at the outcome. I haven’t had any [afib] symptoms but experienced severe shortness of breath. After xrays and tests it was discovered that the phrenic nerve was damaged and I now have parylasis of the right diaphragm. I have a continuous dry cough and such SOB I can’t lay down to sleep. I can’t even sniffle.
“I’m told if it doesn’t resolve in 24-48 hrs [which it didn’t] that it may take 3 months to a year to recover and that is not guaranteed.. I’m very dissappointed and confused. I’m also on amiodarone and worry about lung involvement with a weakened respiratory system. I was released after 4 days and an appointment for 3 months from now. I don’t know where to start to figure out what I need to do now…
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Collateral Damage: A Patient, a New Procedure and the Learning Curve 
I have a-fib with few symptoms. My cardiologist recommends beta blocker and blood thinner. My family Doc wants me to take Mg and vitamins. I read the book “Beat Your A Fib” by Steve Ryan. He makes the ablations sound very successful. He says to change doctors in order to get the ablation. I am stuck in a rut with these different opinions and worried sick. And ideas wil help. Jim.
Steve Ryan is shilling for industry. Catheter ablation for Afib is at best a temporary palliative procedure for highly symptomatic patients.
Why undergo a risky procedure when you are asymptomatic?.
The best source of info on the Internet is Hans Larsen’s Afib Forum. Whatever you do, avoid teaching hospitals.
Good luck.
Actually, if you look at the data, teaching hospitals have lower complication rates and higher success rates than private hospitals. This is generally attributed to the patient being seen by multiple levels of providers who each have a chance of catching an early complication or mistake.