title: Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation using argon-based cryoablation during concomitant cardiac procedures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The development of ablative energy sources has simplified the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) during concomitant cardiac procedures. We report our results using argon-based endocardial cryoablation for the treatment of AF in patients undergoing concomitant cardiac procedures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-three patients with AF who were undergoing concomitant cardiac procedures had the same left atrial endocardial lesion set using a flexible argon-based cryoablative device. Mean age was 65.1+/-1.3 years. Sixty-two percent had permanent AF, whereas 38% had paroxysmal AF. Mean duration of AF was 30.5+/-4.8 months. Mean left atrial diameter was 5.5+/-0.1 cm. Mean ejection fraction was 45+/-1.4%. All endocardial lesions were performed for 1 minute once tissue temperature reached -40 degrees C. Follow-up echocardiograms were obtained to determine freedom from AF. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated an 88.5% freedom from AF rate at 12 months. Ablation time was 16.8+/-0.6 minutes. There were no in-hospital deaths and no strokes. Twelve patients (19%) required postoperative permanent pacemaker placement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cryoablation using this flexible argon-based device for the treatment of AF during concomitant cardiac procedures was safe and effective, with 88.5% of patients free from AF at 12 months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY 10021, USA. cmack@med.cornell.edu
authors.forename: Charles A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Milla
authors.forename: Wilson
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Leonard N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Girardi
authors.forename: Leonard Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Tortolani
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mascitelli
authors.forename: Karl H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Krieger
authors.forename: O Wayne
authors.initials: OW
authors.lastname: Isom
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001128:Argon; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D015993:Life Tables; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001128:Argon