title: Medical and economic interest of the use of cryosurgery in the instrumental treatment of atrial fibrillation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In order to definitively integrate cryosurgery for the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) into the therapeutic armamentarium, the medical and economic impact of its use on a population of patients with a high risk of recurrence of postoperative AF must be evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational study of patients who benefited from cryosurgery between July 2006 and December 2008 was performed. The cost of consumables and hospitalization was determined and compared to that of a control group of 27 patients with preoperative AF that had not benefited from cryosurgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-nine patients benefited from cryosurgery during a mitral (65.5%) or aortic intervention (37.9%) to treat a paroxystic (44.8%) or permanent AF (55.2%). More than half of them (58.6%) had a 12-month follow-up; 82.4% of these patients showed a permanent sinus rhythm and 32.6% had stopped their antiarrhythmic medication. There was no significant difference between the duration and cost of hospitalization for the 2 groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cryosurgery provides a clear clinical and economic advantage with no recurrence of AF, and it reduces antiarrhythmic medication treatment.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, University Hospital of Amiens, Amiens, France.
authors.forename: Amandine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fonteneau
authors.forename: Abir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Piccardo
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marticho
authors.forename: Aurore
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernardy
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lewandowski
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Desablens
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Caus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics* / Q000601:surgery*; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents