Can a cardiac ablation cause strokes in patients?

Ablation: Low risk possible complication.

Yes: The risk varies with the procedure, and is considerably higher when the procedure requires us to cross over to the left side of the heart or visit the aorta. With good protection, risk of major stroke in such procedures is ~1:250. There is also emerging evidence of "microstroke" which you'd never see in day to day life but which can show up on a special MRI looking specifically for it.