Left-thoracoscopic Convergent ablation for atrial fibrillation

2020 ◽  

Epicardial Convergent ablation followed by endocardial touch-up and an additional ablation may be superior to catheter-based interventions in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation. We sought to extend the epicardial lesion set by changing the standard subxiphoid thoracotomy to a left-lateral, totally thoracoscopic approach. This tutorial depicts a closed-chest, beating-heart procedure, including ablation of the left atrial posterior wall, the left atrial dome, and the left pulmonary veins. The left atrial appendage is closed using an epicardial occlusion device.

2021 ◽  

Thoracoscopic atrial fibrillation ablation seeks to replicate the electrophysiological effects of more invasive, open surgical procedures. The authors present a lesion concept that includes isolation of the pulmonary veins, the left atrial posterior wall, and the superior vena cava, respectively, lines to inhibit perimitral and periauricular flutter circuits, and left atrial appendage closure. All lesions are tested for bidirectional block.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 3129
Author(s):  
Riyaz A. Kaba ◽  
Aziz Momin ◽  
John Camm

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a global disease with rapidly rising incidence and prevalence. It is associated with a higher risk of stroke, dementia, cognitive decline, sudden and cardiovascular death, heart failure and impairment in quality of life. The disease is a major burden on the healthcare system. Paroxysmal AF is typically managed with medications or endocardial catheter ablation to good effect. However, a large proportion of patients with AF have persistent or long-standing persistent AF, which are more complex forms of the condition and thus more difficult to treat. This is in part due to the progressive electro-anatomical changes that occur with AF persistence and the spread of arrhythmogenic triggers and substrates outside of the pulmonary veins. The posterior wall of the left atrium is a common site for these changes and has become a target of ablation strategies to treat these more resistant forms of AF. In this review, we discuss the role of the posterior left atrial wall in persistent and long-standing persistent AF, the limitations of current endocardial-focused treatment strategies, and future perspectives on hybrid epicardial–endocardial approaches to posterior wall isolation or ablation.


QJM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 114 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed I Elbatran ◽  
Mervat Abou- Elmaaty Nabih ◽  
Magdi M Saba ◽  
Rania Samir ◽  
Mazen Tawfik ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Left atrial posterior wall (LAPW) isolation is an adjunct to pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) for persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Objective To compare the effect of LAPW box isolation with LAPW point-by-point ablation and PVI in persistent AF on 12-month arrhythmia-free survival and procedure complications. Methods 77 consecutive patients who underwent LAPW box isolation, 24 patients who underwent LAPW point-by-point ablation and 101 patients who underwent PVI for persistent AF were compared. All patients had undergone no prior ablation for AF and were followed up for one year. Results Mean time to atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence was similar with LAPW box isolation (9.8 months, 95% CI = 9-10.7) and LAPW point-by-point ablation (10 months, 95% CI = 8.6-11.3), both were longer than PVI (8.2 months, 95% CI = 7.4-9.1, log-rank p = 0.003). There was no difference in peri-procedural complications (LAPW box isolation: 5/77, LAPW point-by-point ablation: 1/24, PVI: 6/101, p = 0.91). At 12 months, no difference in atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence was observed between box isolation (23/77, 30%) and point-bypoint ablation (11/24, 46%, p = 0.15), but significantly higher recurrence occurred with PVI alone (58/101, 57%, p < 0.001). Procedure time was similar with both approaches, with longer fluoroscopy with point-by-point ablation (median: 38 min, IQR: 29-47.75) vs box isolation (median: 28 min, IQR: 7.5-39.5, p = 0.2). Conclusion In persistent AF, there was no difference between LAPW box isolation and point-by-point ablation in terms of mean arrhythmia-free survival, 12-month recurrence or procedure complications. Arrhythmia-free survival with either technique was longer than PVI alone, with no increase in complications.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document