Percutaneous Catheter Ablation Treatment of Recurring Atrial Arrhythmias After Surgical Ablation

Background. Surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation is associated with early and late recurrence of atrial arrhythmias. Although early arrhythmias may be controlled with conventional treatment, late arrhythmias are often highly symptomatic and relatively hard to manage with antiarrhythmic drugs and electrical cardioversion. This study explores a single-center experience with catheter ablation to treat late failures (> 3 months) after surgery. Methods. This is a prospective longitudinally designed study assessing all patients who underwent surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation as a standalone or concomitant with other procedures by multiple surgeons. All patients were monitored according to the Heart Rhythm Society guidelines. Results. From January 2005 to present, 400 consecutive patients operated on by multiple surgeons were enrolled. The overall success rate per the Heart Rhythm Society guidelines was 87% and 84% (off antiarrhythmic drugs, 78% and 73%) at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Sixteen patients (4%) were referred for electrophysiology study after the surgical procedure (15 Cox-maze III or IV, 1 pulmonary vein isolation). The average age was 61.1 +/- 15.2 years; the mean left atrium size was 5.1 +/- 0.7 cm; and the mean time to ablation was 16.9 +/- 10 months. In 16 patients radiofrequency ablation was applied to treat the following atrial arrhythmias: 7 right atrial flutter or tachycardia, 3 left atrial flutter, 1 biatrial flutter, and 5 left atrial tachycardia. Six patients required a subsequent radiofrequency ablation intervention including 4 patients who required atrioventricular nodal ablations. The long-term success rate for the subsequent catheter ablation in these 16 patients (follow-up of 42.9 +/- 9.8 months) determined by the rate of sinus rhythm as captured by electrocardiography was 94%. Fifty-three percent of the patients (n = 8) in sinus rhythm were still taking antiarrhythmic drugs; 8 patients remained on warfarin. There was 1 late noncardiac death and no late strokes. Conclusions. In a certain subset of patients, unsuccessful surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation may result in symptomatic atrial arrhythmia. If indicated, catheter ablation is a safe and effective intervention with a relatively high success rate. The combination of the two treatment modalities, catheter and surgical ablation, can improve the outcome even in complex patients.