title: Treatment of atrial fibrillation using ultrasonic cardiac ablation, during valvular heart surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to evaluate the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation with ultrasound ablation concomitant to mitral surgery in PROCAPE's patients with permanent atrial fibrillation.
  
  
  METHODS
  From March 2008 through January 2009 a prospective study was performed at the Pernambuco Cardiology Emergency Facility on 44 consecutive patients with a permanent atrial fibrillation and concomitant cardiac valvular surgery indication, from March 2008 through January 2009 at Pernambuco Cardiology Emergency Facility Twenty two patients underwent epicardial ultrasonic ablation on the right atrium and had ultrasonic ablation performed in the left atrium endocardial concomitant with the valve procedure. The other 22 patients, the concurrent controls were submitted to valve procedure without ultrasonic ablation. Patients with serious diseases such as coronary and others were excluded of the research.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was observed 90% restoration to sinus rhythm immediately after surgery in patients submitted to treatment of atrial fibrillation with ultrasound ablation simultaneous a mitral surgery. The evolution in late post operation showed that the maintenance of sinus rhythm drops although it was still 27% higher in the group which received ablation compared with the control group. 86.40% of the patients who received ablation had improved in functional class; they also have fewer complications than patients in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results showed that the patients who received treatment for atrial fibrillation simultaneously with valvar surgery had advantages related to the control group.
authors.affiliation: Ministério da Saúde, Universidade de Pernambuco Pronto Socorro Cardiológico de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil. . medicrosa@bol.com.br
authors.forename: Rosaly Moraes Marques
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lins
authors.forename: Ricardo de Carvalho
authors.initials: Rde C
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Frederico Pires Vasconcelos
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Alexandre Motta de
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: Pedro Rafael
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Salerno
authors.forename: Emmanuel Caou
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Thé
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sepúlveda
authors.forename: Eugênio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Albuquerque
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014464:Ultrasonic Therapy / Q000379:methods*