Afib News & Events

Richard Lee, MD, cardiac surgeon and surgical director for the Center of Atrial Fibrillation at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital,  and Patrick McCarthy, MD, co-director of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute and the chief of the division of cardiothoracic surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, will host this interactive discussion and describe the surgery with taped footage of a Hybrid Maze procedure. The doctors will answer live email questions from the Internet during the live webcast.

Hybrid Maze

The Hybrid Maze is performed in two stages. Stage I, minimally invasive surgery and Stage II, minimally invasive catheter ablation. Each procedure is responsible for placing scar lines in very specific places in and around the heart to isolate abnormal electrical signals that cause atrial fibrillation. Stage I places scar lines around the pulmonary veins from the outside of the heart with energy sources such as radiofrequency, cryo, laser, ultrasound, and microwave. Stage II, catheter ablation, places scar lines in the upper chambers or atria of the heart from the inside of the heart with energy sources similar to those used in Stage I.

After Stage I, the patient returns home and is monitored for approximately one month to see if the atrial fibrillation returns. Stage I can be up to 90 percent effective for certain types of atrial fibrillation. Patients with other types of atrial fibrillation may require Stage II.

For more information visit: http://www.or-live.com/NMH/2256