BACKGROUND The Cox Maze procedure for treatment of medically refractory atrial fibrillation (AF) is limited by its complexity and requirement for cardiopulmonary bypass. Long-term follow-up and success using criteria established by the Heart Rhythm Society/European Heart Rhythm Association/European Cardiac Arrhythmia Society consensus statement have not been reported for surgical AF ablation. W...

Introduction Atrial fibrillation(AF) remains the most common sustained arrhythmia in the United States affecting greater than 3 million individuals, a number likely to rise dramatically by 2015.1 AF is associated with symptoms such as a palpitations, lightheadedness, fatigue, and may precipitate heart failure. In addition, it has been associated with an increased risk for stroke, increased hosp...

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) adversely affects surgical outcomes of cardiac valve surgery. Surgical ablation is an effective way to treat valvular AF. The aim of this study was to evaluate the late outcome of surgical radiofrequency ablation and explore the risk factors of AF recurrence in Chinese patients undergoing cardiac valve surgery. METHODS Three hundred ninety six consecutive p...

The catheter maze procedure for the treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation requires the creation of transmural, continuous linear atrial lesions. Attempts to drag a conventional radiofrequency ablation catheter across the atria in clinical as well as experimental studies have resulted in discontinuous lesions. Continuous linear lesions have been most difficult to create in trabeculated atrial...

The cyclic AMP (cAMP)-response element binding protein (CREB) is an activity-dependent transcription factor playing a role in synaptic plasticity, learning and memory, and emotional behavior. However, the impact of Creb ablation on rodent behavior is vague as e.g., memory performance of different Creb mutant mice depends on the specific type of mutation per se but additionally on the background...

Despite its proven efficacy, the Cox-Maze III procedure did not gain widespread acceptance for the treatment of lone atrial fibrillation (LAF) because of its complexity and technical difficulty. Surgical ablation for LAF can now be successfully performed utilizing minimally invasive techniques. This article provides an overview of the current state of the art in the surgical treatment of LAF. A...

BACKGROUND Maze procedure aims at restoring sinus rhythm (SR) and atrial contractility (AC). This study evaluated multiple aspects of AC recovery and their relationship with SR regain after ablation. METHODS 122 mitral and fibrillating patients underwent radiofrequency Maze. Rhythm check and echocardiographic control of biatrial contractility were performed at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoper...

introduction: to compare endovenous laser ablation (evla) and radiofrequency ablation (rfa) in different legs in the same individual in patients with venous insufficiency. methods: sixty patients with bilateral saphenous vein insufficiency were included. evla or rfa was applied to one of the patient’s legs and rfa or evla to the other leg. results: evla and rfa complications were hyperemia at 2...