Recurrent Atrial Arrhythmia After Minimally Invasive Pulmonary Vein Isolation for Atrial Fibrillation

Thoracoscopic epicardial ablation of the left and right atrium. Beating heart procedure in patients with atrial fibrillation

“…It is definitely less invasive and is associated with a lower risk of complications compared with earlier procedures of epicardial and endocardial ablation could help increase the efficacy of the procedure in some patients, as confirmed by the results of Zeng et al 23 who described mini-MAZE epicardial ablation in a group of 130 patients. Zeng et al 23 performed transcutaneous CARTO ablation in 8 patients due to AF recurrence, atrial tachycardia, or atrial flutter originating in the left atrium within the mean period of 5 months after epicardial ablation.…”

2012 HRS/EHRA/ECAS Expert Consensus Statement on Catheter and Surgical Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation: Recommendations for Patient Selection, Procedural Techniques, Patient Management and Follow-up, Definitions, Endpoints, and Research Trial Design

“…Half had gaps in the lesions created with new enabling technology. 1365 The remainder had flutters around the mitral isthmus. In a series that compared a cut-and-sew Maze to a hybrid approach, only 8% of the patients needed ablation after a cut-and-sew Maze.…”

Staged hybrid procedure in persistent atrial fibrillation: safety, efficacy, and atrial tachyarrhythmia

“…It has been known that pulmonary vein reconnection is one of the most important causes of recurrent atrial tachyarrhythmia after surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation (22,23). Previous studies described that sites commonly involved after surgical ablation using a clamp were a superior or inferior ridge of pulmonary veins, which resulted from limited energy application at the end of the two jaws (16,23,24).…”

“…Previous studies described that sites commonly involved after surgical ablation using a clamp were a superior or inferior ridge of pulmonary veins, which resulted from limited energy application at the end of the two jaws (16,23,24). Among the 172 patients in our institution who had undergone thoracoscopic ablation with a minimum follow-up duration of 1 year, 24 patients showed recurrent symptomatic atrial tachyarrhythmia (unpublished).…”