Treatment of atrial fibrillation using ultrasonic cardiac ablation, during valvular heart surgery

Objective This study aims to evaluate the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation with ultrasound ablation concomitant to mitral surgery in PROCAPE's patients with permanent atrial fibrillation. Methods From March 2008 through January 2009 a prospective study was performed at the Pernambuco Cardiology Emergency Facility on 44 consecutive patients with a permanent atrial fibrillation and concomitant cardiac valvular surgery indication, from March 2008 through January 2009 at Pernambuco Cardiology Emergency Facility Twenty two patients underwent epicardial ultrasonic ablation on the right atrium and had ultrasonic ablation performed in the left atrium endocardial concomitant with the valve procedure. The other 22 patients, the concurrent controls were submitted to valve procedure without ultrasonic ablation. Patients with serious diseases such as coronary and others were excluded of the research. Results It was observed 90% restoration to sinus rhythm immediately after surgery in patients submitted to treatment of atrial fibrillation with ultrasound ablation simultaneous a mitral surgery. The evolution in late post operation showed that the maintenance of sinus rhythm drops although it was still 27% higher in the group which received ablation compared with the control group. 86.40% of the patients who received ablation had improved in functional class; they also have fewer complications than patients in the control group. Conclusion The results showed that the patients who received treatment for atrial fibrillation simultaneously with valvar surgery had advantages related to the control group.