Prandial atrial fibrillation: Off-pump pulmonary vein isolation with hiatal hernia repair

Frequent palpitations with eating developed in a 62-year-old man with a history of typical gastroesophageal reflux successfully treated by Nissen fundoplication 5 years previously. A Holter monitor demonstrated paroxysmal atrial fibrillation associated with eating. Barium swallow showed a slipped Nissen fundoplication with herniation into the chest. Under a single anesthetic, the patient had median sternotomy and off-pump pulmonary vein isolation with a bipolar radiofrequency clamp and transabdominal redo-Nissen fundoplication. A 24-hour Holter monitor performed 6 weeks after operation demonstrated a normal sinus rhythm with no atrial fibrillation. Barium swallow demonstrated an intact infradiaphragmatic repair. (C) 2004 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.