title: Saline-irrigated, cooled-tip radiofrequency ablation is an effective technique to perform the maze procedure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We evaluated the effectiveness of the saline-irrigated-cooled-tip-radiofrequency ablation (SICTRA) to produce linear intraatrial lesions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients with chronic atrial fibrillation and mitral valve disease were consecutively randomized to have mitral valve operation either with a Maze procedure (group A) or without (group B). Intraatrial linear lesions were made with an SICTRA catheter (20 to 32 W; 200 to 320 mL/h saline). An echocardiography and 24-hour electrocardiogram were obtained 12 months postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cumulative frequencies of sinus rhythm in group A and B were 0.80 and 0.27 (p < 0.01). Restored biatrial contraction was present in 66.7% (6 of 9) of the group A patients in sinus rhythm. One patient from each group received a permanent pacemaker because of bradycardia. A fatal renal bleeding and mediastinitis occurred in 2 group A patients, 6 weeks postoperatively. One group A patient had sudden cardiac death at home, 4 months after operation. One patient from each group had lethal respiratory failure, 7 and 10 months after operation. Survival after 12 months for group A and B was 73% and 93% (p = 0.131).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SICTRA appeared to be an effective technique to perform the Maze procedure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Berufsgenossenschaftliche, Kliniken Bergmannnsheil-University Hospital Bochum, Germany. krishna.khargi@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khargi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deneke
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haardt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lemke
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grewe
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laczkovics
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000601:surgery; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome