scholarly journals Minimally Invasive Surgical Therapies for Atrial Fibrillation

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshitsugu Nakamura ◽  
Bob Kiaii ◽  
Michael W. A. Chu

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia and is associated with significant risks of thromboembolism, stroke, congestive heart failure, and death. There have been major advances in the management of atrial fibrillation including pharmacologic therapies, antithrombotic therapies, and ablation techniques. Surgery for atrial fibrillation, including both concomitant and stand-alone interventions, is an effective therapy to restore sinus rhythm. Minimally invasive surgical ablation is an emerging field that aims for the superior results of the traditional Cox-Maze procedure through a less invasive operation with lower morbidity, quicker recovery, and improved patient satisfaction. These novel techniques utilize endoscopic or minithoracotomy approaches with various energy sources to achieve electrical isolation of the pulmonary veins in addition to other ablation lines. We review advancements in minimally invasive techniques for atrial fibrillation surgery, including management of the left atrial appendage.

Author(s):  
Robert M. MacGregor ◽  
Spencer J. Melby ◽  
Richard B. Schuessler ◽  
Ralph J. Damiano

The surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation has evolved over the past 2 decades due to the advent of ablation technology, and the introduction of less invasive surgical approaches. Current devices produce ablation lines that aim to replace the incisions of traditional surgical ablation strategies, such as the Cox-Maze procedure. This has helped to simplify and shorten surgical ablation procedures and has allowed for the development of minimally invasive surgical techniques. This review discusses surgical ablation energy sources and devices, providing background on device characteristics, mechanism of tissue injury, and success in creating transmural lesions.


Author(s):  
John R. Doty ◽  
Stephen E. Clayson

Objective Surgical ablation with radiofrequency is a safe and effective treatment for atrial fibrillation. Recent advances in instrumentation have allowed for the application of bipolar radiofrequency through a minimally invasive approach using small bilateral thoracotomies for pulmonary vein isolation, destruction of autonomic ganglia, and excision of the left atrial appendage (GALAXY procedure). Methods Thirty-two patients underwent surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation with the GALAXY procedure over a 43-month period. Data were collected in a prospective manner during hospitalization and at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month intervals for rhythm, medications, and subsequent interventions. Results There were no operative mortality, no myocardial infarction, and no stroke. One patient required reexploration for bleeding. Mean follow-up was 28 months (range, 4–43 months). Freedom from atrial fibrillation at 12 and 24 months, respectively, was 90% and 67% for patients with paroxysmal fibrillation and 80% and 63% for patients with persistent atrial fibrillation. Of the patients who were not in sinus rhythm, four reverted to atrial fibrillation and two reverted to atrial flutter. Conclusions The GALAXY procedure is a safe and effective, minimally invasive method for treatment of isolated (lone) atrial fibrillation. The operation provides excellent short-term freedom from atrial fibrillation and should be considered in patients with isolated paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsuyoshi Kaneko ◽  
Sary F. Aranki

Advances in surgery for atrial fibrillation from cut and sew technique to thoracoscopy and new energy source have enabled minimally invasive approach which avoids median sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass. However, minimally invasive approach is unable to match the outcome of classic surgical technique due to difficulty in creating some of linear ablation lines. Hybrid procedure using catheter mapping and ablation in addition to minimally invasive surgical ablation has gained interest to combine the advantages of both procedures. No large study has been conducted to date comparing this new technique to other existing treatments. The aim of this paper is to review the data on hybrid procedure for atrial fibrillation and assess its early outcome and efficacy.


Author(s):  
Nathan E. Smith ◽  
Jeevan Joseph ◽  
John Morgan ◽  
Saqib Masroor

Objective Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the primary cardiac abnormality associated with ischemic stroke. Atrial fibrillation affects 2.7 million people with a stroke rate of 3.5% per year. Most of the emboli in patients with nonvalvular AF originate in the left atrial appendage (LAA). Surgical exclusion of the LAA decreases the yearly risk of stroke to 0.7% when combined with a Maze procedure. Traditional oversewing the LAA from inside the left atrium is associated with a significant number of recanalizations of LAA. An alternate technique is epicardial clipping, which has been approved through sternotomy for permanent exclusion of LAA. We present our initial experience of epicardial clipping of the LAA using a minimally invasive approach. Methods Between May 2012 and December 2015, a total of 24 consecutive patients underwent minimally invasive, echo-guided epicardial clipping. Indications for the procedure were persistent (n = 12) or paroxysmal (n = 12) AF in patients who could not tolerate full anticoagulation because of a combination of gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 7), hemorrhagic stroke (n = 5), ischemic stroke (n = 5), intramuscular bleeding (n = 3), falls (n = 2), urinary tract bleeding (n = 2), subdural hematoma (n = 1), traumatic aortic intramural hematoma (n = 1), and lifestyle and career practices inconsistent with anticoagulation (n = 1). The clipping was performed through three 5-mm ports in the left seventh intercostal space (n = 22) or a 5-cm incision in the fifth intercostal space (n = 2). Echocardiography was performed to exclude the presence of LAA thrombus and to confirm exclusion of LAA before final deployment of the clip. Results The mean age was 73.6 years. The mean CHA2DS2VASC score was 4.7 and the mean HAS-BLED score was 3.8. The mean postoperative length of stay was 6.4 days. One patient died of stroke-related complications 10 days after successful clipping, and two patients required thoracentesis to drain recurrent pleural effusions. All patients had successful exclusion of LAA defined as residual sac of less than 1 cm. Conclusions Isolated epicardial left atrial clipping is a safe treatment option in high-risk patients with AF. Long-term success in preventing stroke is still to be determined, but short-term results are very encouraging.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document