Minimally invasive cardiac surgery with surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation with mitral valve operations has been often performed in patients who have chronic atrial fibrillation associated with mitral valve disease. We describe a case of the combined operation through a small incision. A 49-year-old woman presented with a 1-month history of left hemiplegia. Echocardiography confirmed mitral stenosis and electrocardiogram revealed atrial fibrillation. The duration of the atrial fibrillation before admission was 12 years. Mitral commissurotomy, removal of clots, and surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation was performed through an 8-cm right parasternal incision. The right femoral artery and vein were used for cannulation. Another cannula was inserted into the superior vena cava. The extended use of cryoablation was carried out instead of atriotomy or reanastomosis. The patient was extubated for 5 hours after the operation. Atrial fibrillation was converted to a sinus rhythm. On the basis of our experience, this procedure seemed promising.