The maze III surgical procedure.
The maze III procedure is a surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation (A fib), a rhythm problem in which the heart's upper chambers (i.e., atria) beat rapidly and irregularly, sometimes beating more than 400 times per minute. Approximately 10% of Americans older than 60 years of age suffer from A fib. The maze procedure was designed to create a maze on the atria with multiple incisions that allow sinus rhythm to be conducted to the atrioventricular node without creating a reentry circuit. Currently, it is not a widely used procedure, but its popularity continues to increase. The maze III procedure generally is reserved as a treatment of last resort for a patient with A-fib that is unresponsive to medication therapy, electrical cardioversion, surgical ablation, or pacemaker implantation. The maze III procedure, performed as open-heart surgery, has a high success rate for sustaining normal heart rhythms, usually without the need for a pacemaker; however, all other medical and nonsurgical treatment options are exhausted before the maze III procedure is performed.
Green
Beverly
B
St. Thomas Health Services, Nashville, USA.
D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000451:nursing / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing*; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D013527:Perioperative Nursing / Q000379:methods*