Thoracic Key

Minimally Invasive CryoMaze-III Procedure for Stand-Alone Atrial Fibrillation

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Minimally Invasive CryoMaze-III Procedure for Stand-Alone Atrial Fibrillation

Over the past two decades, many different surgical ablation procedures have been proposed to replace the Maze procedure, but the stand-alone Maze procedure for lone atrial fibrillation (AF) remains the…

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Development and Evolution of the Maze Procedure for Atrial Fibrillation

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Development and Evolution of the Maze Procedure for Atrial Fibrillation

The development of surgical techniques for the treatment of patients with cardiac arrhythmias was dependent on the availability of intraoperative electrophysiologic mapping systems that provided the ability to determine precisely…

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How I do it: Atrial Fibrillation Ablation with Mitral Valve Surgery plus/minus Tricuspid Valve Surgery and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on How I do it: Atrial Fibrillation Ablation with Mitral Valve Surgery plus/minus Tricuspid Valve Surgery and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

INTRODUCTION The goals of concomitant treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) are to achieve high efficacy as measured by late freedom from AF and stroke, to minimize morbidity, and to be…

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Thoracoscopic Non-Maze Hybrid Procedure for Stand-Alone Atrial Fibrillation

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Thoracoscopic Non-Maze Hybrid Procedure for Stand-Alone Atrial Fibrillation

The number of off-pump surgical ablation approaches to treat patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has increased in the past several years. In the most recent Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)…

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Lesion Integrity, Energy Sources, Ablation Devices, and Intraoperative Testing

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Lesion Integrity, Energy Sources, Ablation Devices, and Intraoperative Testing

The two current types of energy sources available to create atrial lesions surgically in patients with arrhythmias are radiofrequency (RF) energy and cryothermia. Both are thermal energy sources, with RF…

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How I Do It: Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Plus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on How I Do It: Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Plus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Preoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) is present in 10% to 20% of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). , Although the prevalence of AF is much higher in those with…

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Results of Catheter Ablation for Stand-Alone Atrial Fibrillation

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Results of Catheter Ablation for Stand-Alone Atrial Fibrillation

The development of catheter ablation for the treatment of patients with cardiac arrhythmias represents one of the seminal achievements in the history of heart disease therapy. The first catheter-based approach…

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How I Do It: Atrial Fibrillation Ablation With Aortic Valve Surgery and Ascending Aortic Aneurysm Repair

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on How I Do It: Atrial Fibrillation Ablation With Aortic Valve Surgery and Ascending Aortic Aneurysm Repair

Pathophysiology and Impact of Atrial Fibrillation Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in patients requiring aortic valve surgery. Although age is a risk factor for both AF and aortic valve disease,…

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Totally Thoracoscopic Left Atrial Modified Maze Procedure

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Totally Thoracoscopic Left Atrial Modified Maze Procedure

The Cox Maze procedure has been performed routinely since its first description in 1991. However, the degree of invasiveness precluded the widespread adoption of the Cox Maze procedure, limiting its…

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Ganglionic Plexus Ablation

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Ganglionic Plexus Ablation

Ganglionic plexi (GP) ablation can be used to treat patients with various cardiac arrhythmias by selectively disrupting clusters of autonomic nerve cells, known as ganglia, on the epicardial surface of…

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