Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a common abnormal heart rhythm that can lead to higher heart rates, symptoms such as dizziness, and the formation of blood clots in the heart as blood stagnates. The mainstay of treatment of atrial fibrillation is to control the heart rate, and try to convert the patient into normal “sinus” rhythm. Sometimes this can be done with medication, other times it requires a procedure (ablation or the maze procedure). The maze procedure is a way to block the conduction of the abnormal electrical currents in the heart using cryotherapy or radio-frequency energy. The success rate is typically 80-90% depending on the patient’s situation. This procedure can be performed minimally invasively through smaller incisions, or can be combined with other surgical procedures such as mitral valve repair.