Atrial fibrillation (commonly called A-fib) is a form of arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, in which the two upper chambers of the heart beat erratically, quivering instead of beating normally. This can cause blood to be pumped improperly, resulting in pooling or clotting, which raises the risk of stroke and other cardiac problems, including congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease). While non-surgical treatments can be effective, for many patients the optimal treatment is surgery to re-establish a normal heartbeat. PinnacleHealth offers many of the most advanced surgical interventions available for this condition.

Thoracoscopic Maze

PinnacleHealth is one of just a few medical centers nationally offering the newest treatment option for atrial fibrillation -- total thoracoscopic maze. During the surgery, real-time mapping techniques are used to locate the sources of A-fib, so the surgeon can perform an immediate repair at the origin of the abnormal electrical signals. This procedure is what’s known as a “closed-chest, beating-heart procedure,” meaning that use of the heart-lung bypass machine is not required. Thoracoscopic maze has been shown to be 90 percent effective at maintaining a normal heartbeat without the use of any anti-arrhythmic medications a full year after the surgery, for all types of A-fib.

Concomitant Maze

When the maze procedure is performed during open-heart bypass surgery or valve surgery, it is called a “concomitant maze.” These procedures are highly effective in curing atrial fibrillation, with research from Ohio State University reporting that 87.5% of total thoracoscopic maze patients remained in normal heart rhythm six months after the procedure without the use of medications.