Radiofrequency ablation through a right atrium incision in congenital atrial septal defect.
BACKGROUND
The incidence of atrial fibrillation is similar in the clinical history of patients with atrial septal defect, either surgically corrected and uncorrected. We present an unpublished technique for treating atrial fibrillation by left endocardial radiofrequency ablation through the lone right atrium incision, coupled to atrial septal defect septum primum and secundum closure, thus reducing the surgical trauma related to paraseptal left atrium incision.


METHODS
We treated 2 patients through a lone right atrium incision by radiofrequency ablation because of congenital atrial septal defect and chronic atrial fibrillation.


RESULTS
The patients after defect closure were weaned off cardiopulmonary bypass in sinus rhythm. The postoperative hospital stay was uneventful and at more than 1 year of follow-up they are still in sinus rhythm.


CONCLUSIONS
The radiofrequency ablation procedure is possible through the lone right atrium incision, avoiding any further incision and new source of possible bleeding when in presence of interatrial septal defects, and the technique is simple and useful.
Bottio
Tomaso
T
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Medical School of Padua, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padua, Italy. tomaso.bottio@unipd.it
Leoni
Loira
L
Vida
Vladimiro
V
Stellin
Giovanni
G
Casarotto
Dino
D
Gerosa
Gino
G
D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged