Thoracic Key

Future of the Interventional Treatment of Stand-Alone Atrial Fibrillation

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Future of the Interventional Treatment of Stand-Alone Atrial Fibrillation

Current Status During a September 2022 celebration of the 35th anniversary of the first Maze procedure, I was asked if I thought that the Maze procedure would still be around…

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Effect of Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion on Left Atrial Function and Electrophysiology

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Effect of Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion on Left Atrial Function and Electrophysiology

Normal Left Atrial Function The major contribution of the left atrium (LA) to forward cardiac output is its function as a passive capacitance chamber, not as a contracting pumping chamber…

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Postoperative Peri-Mitral Flutter

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Postoperative Peri-Mitral Flutter

Peri-mitral atrial flutter is a common postoperative arrhythmia that often occurs after isolation of the pulmonary veins (PVs), especially when the posterior wall of the left atrium (LA) is also…

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New-Onset Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on New-Onset Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation

New-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a serious complication of adult cardiac surgery that occurs in 20% to 55% of cases. It should be differentiated from recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF)…

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A Complete Hybrid Maze Procedure for Stand-Alone Atrial Fibrillation

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

Past experience with both the catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has provided several observations that should be considered when designing an off-pump hybrid procedure: 1. The Maze…

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Overview of the Surgical Management of the Left Atrial Appendage

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Overview of the Surgical Management of the Left Atrial Appendage

Background Surgical closure of the left atrial appendage (LAA) was first reported by John Madden in 1949 ( Fig. 40.1 ) In that publication, Madden stated, “ Since a thrombus…

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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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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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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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Conversion from the Cut-and-Sew Maze-III Procedure to the Minimally Invasive CryoMaze-III Procedure

May 17, 2026 by drzezo in CARDIOLOGY Comments Off on Conversion from the Cut-and-Sew Maze-III Procedure to the Minimally Invasive CryoMaze-III Procedure

In the mid-1990s, cardiac surgeons became increasingly interested in the development of minimally invasive surgery for patients with ischemic and valvular heart disease. Some efforts centered on exposing the heart…

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