Atrial fibrillation, the most common form of heart rhythm disorder, affects about 2.5 million Americans with approximately 300,000 new cases diagnosed per year. It is predicted that 5.6 million patients will be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation by the year 2050.

Atrial fibrillation is a condition of the heart in which the upper chambers do not beat in a synchronized or coordinated manner with the lower part of the heart. Patients with atrial fibrillation experience an irregular heartbeat and can suffer from shortness of breath, lethargy and palpitations. Most patients are required to take blood thinner medications to reduce their risk of stroke, as well as other medications to attempt to control the beating of the heart.
 
Traditional treatment for atrial fibrillation
Traditionally, atrial fibrillation was treated surgically, most often performed in combination with another open heart surgical procedure. During the procedure the surgeon would divide the sternum (chest bone) to access the heart; a heart-lung machine may be required. The surgeon then uses a heated or freezing probe to interrupt flow of abnormal electrical signals. The complicated procedure usually is very successful, but it isn’t appropriate for all patients, and it does not offer all of the post-operative benefits seen with a minimally invasive surgical approach.

New treatment for atrial fibrillation
Fortunately, the millions of patients with atrial fibrillation have a treatment option that can eliminate the need for lifelong drug therapy and open heart surgery. The minimally invasive thoracoscopic or stand-alone Maze procedure often cures atrial fibrillation by disrupting the electrical impulses that cause the irregular heartbeat and promotes normal rhythm without open heart surgery.

During the thoracoscopic or stand-alone Maze procedure, the surgeon works through three or four small incisions inbetween the ribs without dividing the sternum. The procedure is performed on the beating heart, so a bypass machine is not required. There are no incisions made on the heart itself. The surgeon uses heat to interrupt flow of abnormal electrical signals.

Because the procedure is minimally invasive it offers many benefits including less postoperative pain, faster recovery, reduced risk of complications and shorter hospital stay. And, because the procedure can be performed on a stand-alone basis, the patient does not have to wait for an additional diagnosis which requires open heart surgery to have the condition surgically repaired.

Steven Peterson, M.D., cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon, has performed more than 4,000 open heart surgery procedures. He is the medical director of Cardiovascular Surgery at Flagstaff Medical Center, and a practicing physician at the Heart & Vascular Center of Northern Arizona. Is there a health topic you=d like to know more about? Please write to Mountain Medicine, c/o FMC Public Relations, 1200 N.  Beaver St., Flagstaff, AZ 86001, or visit FMC's Web site at FlagstaffMedicalCenter.com.  For more information, please see your physician.