Minimally invasive Cox Maze Ⅳ ablation procedure performed entirely by bipolar clamp concomitant to mitral valve surgery through right lateral minithoracotomy / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective Objectives: To introduce the technique of performing minimally invasive concomitant Cox Maze Ⅳ ablation procedure entirely by bipolar clamp through right lateral minithoracotomy for patients with atrial fibrillation(AF) associated with mitral valve diseases.Methods Sixty nine patients with mitral valve disease and long-standing persistent AF received minimally invasive Cox Maze Ⅳ ablation procedure combined with mitral valve surgery from June 2012 to January 2015.The etiology of mitral valve disease was rheumatic(41 cases) and degenerative(28 cases).Age at operation ranged from 52 to 71 years.There were 43 males and 26 females.AF duration ranged from 1.5 years to 13 years.Diameter of the left atrium ranged from 42 to 60 mm.Diameter of the left ventricle ranged from 43 to 66 mm.Left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) ranged from 0.45 to 0.67.Concomitant Maze Ⅳ ablation procedure was performed through right lateral minithoracotomy entirely by bipolar radiofrequency clamp.Results All patients successfully underwent this minimally invasive concomitant Maze Ⅳ ablation procedure and mitral valve surgery.The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was(130.3 ± 17.7) minutes.The mean aortic crossclamp time was(91.8 ± 12.7) minutes.No patient needed conversion to sternotomy during the surgery.There was no early death or pacemaker implantation in the perioperation.The average length of hospital stay was(9.8 ± 3.3) days.At discharge, 65 patients(65/69, 94.2％) maintained sinus rhythm.At a mean follow-up time of(21.0 ± 8.6) months, sinus rhythm was restored in 62 patients(62/69, 89.9％).Cumulative maintenance of normal sinus rhythm without AF recurrence at 2 years postoperatively was(85.1 ± 5.8)％.Conclusion The minimally invasive concomitant Maze Ⅳ ablation procedure performed entirely by bipolar clamp through right lateral minithoracotomy was a safe, feasible, and effective technique for patients with AF associated with mitral valve diseases.