Risks

Complications of electric cardioversion are uncommon. Your doctor can take steps to reduce your risk. Major risks of cardioversion include:

• Dislodged blood clots. Some people who have irregular heartbeats have blood clots in their hearts. Electric cardioversion can cause these blood clots to move to other parts of your body. This can cause life-threatening complications, such as a stroke or a blood clot traveling to your lungs.

  If necessary, your doctor may prescribe blood-thinning medications before the procedure or will check for blood clots in your heart before cardioversion.

• Abnormal heart rhythm. In rare cases, some people who have cardioversion develop other heart rhythm problems during or after the procedure. This is a rare complication. If it happens, it usually shows up only minutes after your procedure. Your doctor can give you medications or additional shocks to correct the problem.
• Skin burns. Rarely, some people have minor burns on their skin where the electrodes were placed.

Cardioversion can be done during pregnancy, but it's recommended that the baby's heartbeat be monitored during the procedure.