> What is Atrial Fibrillation?
> How is Atrial Fibrulation Treated?
> A new minimally-invasive technique to treat atrial fibrillation
> University Hospital Surgeon
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What is atrial fibrillation?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a very fast, uncontrolled heart rhythm that occurs in the upper chambers (or atria) of the heart when they quiver instead of beating. During AF, the upper chambers of the heart quiver between 350 and 600 times per minute (normal heart rhythm is between 60 and 80 beats per minute). The symptoms include an uncomfortable "flutter" in the chest or even the feeling that the heart wants to jump out of the chest. Patients may also feel lightheaded, have a shortness of breath, build up of fluid in the ankles, or have chest pressure or discomfort.

As a result of this irregular pumping of the heart, blood is not completely emptied from the atria and may clot. In about one of 20 patients, clotted blood can dislodge and result in a stroke. The American Heart Association estimates that more than 70,000 strokes each year in the United States are due to AF, and patients (especially older people) with AF are five times more likely to have a stroke than the general population. Blood thinners such as aspirin or warfarin (Coumadin) are usually prescribed to help prevent clots from forming and leading to a stroke.

How is atrial fibrillation
treated?

Standard treatment options for AF include blood thinners, rhythm-control medications, pacemakers and surgery. In standard surgery (known as the "Maze" procedure) to treat AF, the breastbone is opened and the patient is placed on the heart-lung machine. The heart is then "divided" by a number of incisions into isolated segments and barriers (or "maze") that permanently block the travel routes of the abnormal electrical impulses. This procedure is not performed often because it is an open-heart operation that requires the use of a heart-lung machine and is costly, complex and traumatic to the patient.

A new minimally-invasive technique to treat atrial fibrillation

The University Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio, recently debuted a new procedure to surgically treat atrial fibrillation (AF). After extensive research and efforts spanning four years, University Hospital has developed a new minimally-invasive procedure to treat atrial fibrillation without making a sternal incision—usually seven inches long in the middle of the chest—and without using a heart-lung machine.

Our surgeons performed the first case in the world using this technique at University Hospital in August 2003. To date, University Hospital surgeons have completed more than 60 cases. The average age of patients undergoing the procedure at University Hospital is 59 years old, with the youngest being 23 and the oldest, 83.

Patients who have suffered from AF now have the benefit of undergoing a less invasive operation and recovering faster as a result. The left atrial appendage (a source for blood clots in the heart) is also removed during this procedure. In addition, the minimally-invasive procedure is performed on the beating heart, eliminating the need for a heart-lung machine. Patients leave the operating room awake and comfortable, and the average length of stay in the hospital is two days, compared to six or more days with the standard Maze procedure.

University Hospital Surgeon

E. William Schneeberger, M.D., is an associate professor of surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and a member of the Center for Surgical Innovation, (CSI). He is qualified in all aspects of cardiac and thoracic surgery and has a particular interest in minimally invasive cardiac surgery and robotics.
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For more information about atrial fibrillation treatment options, please call:

513-584-MAZE (513-584-6293)

Video

Click here to see live operating room footage.