CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY

KNOW PRO

ARTICLE-MAZE SURGERY

BY:

ANDREA VALENTINA VILLAMIZAR BLANCO

FOR:

LIDY JANNETH HIGUERA IBAÑEZ

 ATRIAL FIBRILLATION SURGERY

Atrial fibrillation surgery is based on creating scars in the atrium, in order to avoid re-entry
phenomena that may initiate and perpetuate arrhythmia, and driving the normal stimuli from the
sinus node to the atrio-ventricular node. The complexity and increased risk of the initial surgical
technique, based on a «cut-and-sew» procedure, have enhanced other current procedures, in
which different energies are used making it possible to perform scars in a safer and less invasive
way.
At present, atrial fibrillation surgery is not performed routinely in all cardiothoracic surgical
centers, and there is no consensus in which is the best type of technique. Even if the results are
good, they depend on multiples factors such as duration of arrhythmia, atrial size and type of
technique employed.
In addition, there is some variability in the description within the scientific community of the
results and procedures used, which makes its analysis confusing.
In this paper we review the different techniques described, the results and their application in
minimally invasive surgery.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent sustained arrhythmia today (with an estimated
prevalence in the adult population of between 0.4 and 2%), leading to a significant increase in
mortality due to cardiovascular problems1. Individually, the prevalence of AF is increased in
patients with mitral valve disease (it occurs in 40-80% of patients with this valve disease),
compared to other heart diseases2 and has a twice higher risk of causing cerebrovascular
accidents. (ACVA).

Taken by: https://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1137-66272011000100009

QUESTIONS

1. Atrial fibrillation surgery is based on the creation of insulating scars in the atrium with the
purpose of avoiding the reentry phenomena that initiate and perpetuate the arrhythmia,
allowing the normal stimulus to be redirected from the sinus node to the atrioventricular
node. .

a) True
b) False
2. Is atrial fibrillation surgery frequently used?

a) Yes
b) No
c) Occasionally
3. What is the estimated population prevalence with atrial fibrillation?

a) 0,4 y 2%
b) 1% y 3%
c) 0% y 5%