Objective To analyze the current status and hotspots of surgical transmural ablation of atrial fibrillation using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. MethodsThe Web of Science Core Collection database was used as the data source. The CiteSpace 5.8.R3 and VOSviewer software were used to analyze the related studies on surgical transmural ablation of atrial fibrillation about the authors, countries/institutions, literature co-citation and keywords. Results A total of 109 articles were enrolled. Damiano RJ was the most prolific researcher, while Cox JL was the author with the highest number of citations. The United States was the leading country in this research field. The University of Washington was an important institution in the study of atrial fibrillation transmural ablation. The main hotpots were the effectiveness of surgical ablation, especially Cox-maze procedure, selection of the energy source of surgical ablation, combination of surgical and catheter ablations, and pulmonary vein isolation. ConclusionThis study visualizes the current research status of surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation. How to improve the effectiveness and transmurality of surgical ablation is a hot research topic in the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. The combination of electrophysiology mapping and surgical ablation may be the development direction in the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation.
Objective To explore the technique of performing minimally invasive Cox Maze Ⅳ procedure by bipolar clamp through right lateral minithoracotomy for atrial septal defect (ASD) combined with atrial fibrillation (AF) in adults. Methods Thirty-five patients (21 males, 14 females with age ranging from 45 to 73 years) with ASD and persistent or long-standing persistent AF received minimally invasive Cox Maze Ⅳ procedure and ASD closure from August 2012 to April 2016 at Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Xinhua Hospital. Diameter of left atrium ranged from 39 to 60 mm and left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) ranged from 48% to 62%. Diameter of ASD ranged from 20 to 35 mm. Cox-maze Ⅳ procedure was performed through right minithoracotomy entirely by bipolar radiofrequency clamp. Then, mitral or tricuspid valvuloplasty and surgical ASD closure was performed through right minithoracotomy. Results All patients successfully underwent this minimally invasive surgery. No patient needed conversion to sternotomy. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 120.1±14.1 min. The mean aortic cross-clamp time was 79.5±12.2 min. There was no early death or pacemaker implantation perioperatively. The average length of hospital stay was 10.1±2.7 d. At a mean follow-up of 22.8±12.2 months, sinus rhythm was restored in 32 patients (32/35, 91.4%). Cumulative maintenance of normal sinus rhythm without AF recurrence at 2 years postoperatively was 89.1%±6.0%. Conclusion The minimally invasive Cox Maze Ⅳprocedure performed by bipolar clamp through right minithoracotomy is safe, feasible, and effective for adult patients with ASD combined with AF.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the early and mid-term outcomes of total thoracoscopic Box Lesion radiofrequency ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation.MethodsThe clinical data of 31 patients with atrial fibrillation who underwent total thoracoscopic Box Lesion radiofrequency ablation between November 2011 and March 2018 at the Department of Cardiac Surgery in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed, including 23 males and 8 females at an average age of 66.17±8.32 years. All patients did not have concomitant severe organic heart disease which required surgical intervention.ResultsThere were 20 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, 8 with persistent atrial fibrillation, and 3 with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation. Twenty-nine patients got the 3-year follow-up, and 2 patients were lost to the follow-up 6 months after the surgery. The procedure was successfully performed in all patients, with an average operation time of 113.00±26.00 min. There was no perioperative death or related complication. All patients were restored to sinus rhythm immediately after surgery. Five patients got atrial fibrillation during postoperative hospitalization, which reverted to sinus rhythm after electrical cardioversion. The rate of sinus rhythm maintenance was 62.9%, 55.9% and 52.4% in postoperative 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively. No patient died during the period, and no procedure-related complication was observed.ConclusionTotal thoracoscopic Box Lesion radiofrequency ablation effectively shortens operation time, and reduces surgical trauma and procedure-related complications, meanwhile, ensures the surgical outcomes.
Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation for concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) during minimally invasive valve surgery. Methods A total of 47 patients (26 males, 21 females, age of 42-69 years) with mitral valve disease and long-standing persistent AF received minimally invasive biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure combined with mitral valve surgery through right minithoracotomy from January 2014 to September 2015. The etiology of mitral valve disease was rheumatic (n=31) and degenerative (n=16). AF duration ranged from 2 to 11 years. Diameter of the left atrium ranged from 43 to 60 mm. Concomitant biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure was performed through right lateral minithoracotomy. Results All 47 patients successfully underwent this minimally invasive concomitant biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure and valve surgery. No patient needed conversion to sternotomy during the surgery. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamp time and cryoablation time was 95-146 (120.3±12.3) min, 82-115 (93.3±7.7) min and 32-48 (38.6±4.5) min, respectively. There was no death perioperatively. The average postoperative length of hospital stay was 5-16 (7.9±1.9) d. At discharge, 44 patients (44/47, 93.6%) maintained sinus rhythm. At a mean follow-up of 6-26 (14.4±5.4) months, sinus rhythm was maintained in 41 patients (41/47, 87.2%). Cumulative maintenance rate of normal sinus rhythm without AF recurrence at one year postoperatively was 86.3%±5.8%. Conclusion Biatrial Cox Maze Ⅳ cryoablation procedure is safe, feasible and effective for AF during concomitant minimally invasive valve surgery.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia. Early diagnosis and effective management are important to reduce atrial fibrillation‐related adverse events. Photoplethysmography (PPG) is often used to assist wearables for continuous electrocardiograph monitoring, which shows its unique value. The development of PPG has provided an innovative solution to AF management. Serial studies of mobile health technology for improving screening and optimized integrated care in atrial fibrillation have explored the application of PPG in screening, diagnosing, early warning, and integrated management in patients with AF. This review summarizes the latest progress of PPG analysis based on artificial intelligence technology and mobile health in AF field in recent years, as well as the limitations of current research and the focus of future research.
ObjectiveTo explore the effect of pulmonary hypertension on the clinical efficacy of Cox Maze Ⅳ procedure in treating atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with valvular heart disease.MethodsThe clinical data of 84 patients who received cardiac valve replacement and Cox Maze Ⅳ ablation in our hospital from July 2017 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the estimation of pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) by ultrasound, the patients were divided into two groups: a group A (PAP<45 mm Hg, 20 males, 26 females with an average age of 59.1±7.8 years) and a group B (PAP≥45 mm Hg, 15 males and 23 females with an average age of 58.5±8.5 years). The PAP was less than 70 mm Hgin all patients. A systematic follow-up review was performed for 6 months after operation. The recovery and recurrence rate of sinus rhythm after surgical ablation were compared between the two groups, and the efficacy was analyzed.Results(1) All the patients completed the operation successfully, and there was no statistical difference in the ablation time between the two groups (P>0.05); no patients died of pulmonary infection after the operation, and one patient underwent implantation of a permanent pacemaker due to conduction block. (2) At the end of the operation and 3 months after the operation, the conversion rate of AF in the group A was 91.3% (42 patients) and 82.6% (38 patients), respectively, and in the group B was 89.5% (34 patients) and 73.7% (28 patients), respectively (P>0.05). The conversion rate of AF was 82.6% (38 patients) in the group A and 63.2% (24 patients) in the group B at 6 months after operation (P=0.043). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that PAP≥45 mm Hg had a significant effect on the long-term effect of surgical Maze procedure in treating AF patients with valvular heart disease [P=0.014, OR=5.661, 95%CI (1.429, 22.432)].ConclusionPAP may be an influencing factor for the long-term effect of surgical Maze procedure in treating AF patients with valvular heart disease. Although the long-term recurrence rate of AF in the moderate pulmonary hypertension group is higher than that in the group A, the overall effect is still safe and effective; therefore it is still worth promoting in clinical application.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the performance and safety of a novel device for left atrial appengdage (LAA) closure in dogs. MethodsThrough the fourth left intercostal, the LAA clips were implanted at the base of LAA in six dogs. Macroscopic pathology, histopathology and biological detection were performed at 7 d, 60 d, 90 d, 180 d after implan-tation respectively. ResultsThe devices were all successfully implanted at the base of LAA. There is no transposition of the LAA clips. Complete fibrosis and atrophy of LAA occurred at 60 d after implantation. LAA closure was completed with a new endothelial tissue layer developed on the occluded orifice of the left atrium after 60 d after implantation. The level of atrial natriuretic peptide did not decrease significantly after the device implantation (275.64±60.00 pg/ml vs. 248.34±56.10 pg/ml, P=0.529). ConclusionThe novel device for LAA closure achieved easy, reliable and safe closure of the LAA in canine model.
ObjectiveTo analyze the recovery rule of atrial contractility (AC) function after Maze Ⅳ procedure of valvular atrial fibrillation (AF).MethodsIn our hospital from March 2016 to April 2018, 103 patients who underwent cryoablation Maze Ⅳ procedure due to mitral valve lesions associated with persistent or long-term persistent AF were enrolled. There were 42 males and 61 females, with an average age of 58.5±9.1 years. Electrocardiogram and echocardiography were followed up at discharge and 1, 3, 6, 12 months after procedure. A multivariate Cox analysis of predictive factors for AC recovery was applied.ResultsAll the 103 patients were followed up for 1 year. The recovery rate of AC increased gradually after operation. It was not until 3 months after procedure that most of the right atrial contractility (RAC) was accompanied by synchronous recovery of the corresponding left atrial contractility (LAC, Kappa coefficient≥0.40, P<0.05). However, the coexistence of sinus rhythm (SR) and bilateral AC was not consistent well until 1 year after operation (Kappa coefficient≥0.40, P<0.05). One year after procedure, the recovery rates of SR and bilateral AC were 86.4% (89/103) and 66.0% (68/103) respectively. By Cox multivariate regression analysis, longer preoperative AF duration (P=0.040), larger preoperative left atrial diameter (LAD, P=0.003), and AC deletion 3 months after surgery (P=0.037) were predictive factors for AF recurrence in the middle and advanced stages (>3 months) after Maze surgery. At the same time, longer preoperative AF duration and larger preoperative LAD were also negative predictors of middle and late recovery of LAC and bilateral AC (All P<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the best critical value of preoperative AF time and preoperative LAD for prediction of AC recovery was 37 months (sensitivity 99.6%, specificity 76.3%) and 60.5 mm (sensitivity 98.5%, specificity 78.9%), respectively.ConclusionThe recovery of AC after Maze procedure is a dynamic improvement process. Early recovery of AC is beneficial to the stable maintenance of SR in the future. Prolonged duration of AF and enlarged LAD have adverse effects on the outcome of Maze Ⅳ procedure.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the relationship between four classic inflammatory biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC), IL (interleukin family), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and valve replacement (VR) surgeries.MethodsWe searched PubMed, EMBase, the Cochrane Library, Ovid, Chinese Journal Full-text Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, VIP database and WanFang database from the inception to April 2020. Studies on the relationship between POAF and the above four inflammatory biomarkers were analyzed. Two researchers independently reviewed the literature, extracted data and evaluated the quality of the literature. RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 47 articles were included, covering 10 711 patients. The levels of preoperative CRP (SMD=0.38, 95%CI 0.14-0.62, Z=3.12, P=0.002) and postoperative CRP (SMD=0.40, 95%CI 0.06-0.74, Z=2.33, P=0.02), IL-6 (SMD=1.34, 95%CI 0.98-1.70, Z=7.26, P<0.001) and TNF-α (SMD=?0.33, 95%CI ?0.65-?0.01, Z=2.02, P=0.040) were related to POAF, while preoperative IL-8 (SMD=?0.05, 95%CI ?0.28-0.18, Z=0.42, P=0.68) and TNF-α (SMD=?0.43, 95%CI ?1.22-0.36, Z=1.07, P=0.28), postoperative WBC (WMD=1.16, 95%CI ?0.09-2.42, Z=1.82, P=0.07) and IL-10 (SMD=0.21, 95%CI ?0.35-0.77, Z=0.73, P=0.46) were not related to POAF. The relationships between preoperative WBC and IL-10, postoperative IL-8 and POAF were inclusive, which needed further verification. Furthermore, the relationship between postoperative CRP and POAF were not consistent, as they were not significantly correlated in sub-group analysis.ConclusionThe inflammatory substrate before the surgery and inflammatory reaction induced by the operation is related to the occurrence and maintenance of POAF. Compared with preoperative inflammatory status, postoperative inflammatory factors may have a greater predictive value for POAF. Preoperative CRP, postoperative IL-6 and TNF-α levels are reliable biomarkers of POAF.
Surgical treatment of atrial septal defect (ASD) mainly includes occlusion or repair under cardiopulmonary bypass. Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation includes transcatheter radiofrequency ablation or Maze surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass. There are many treatments for ASD patients combined with atrial fibrillation, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages. We reported an ASD patient combined with atrial fibrillation treated by totally endoscopic "one-stop" radiofrequency ablation and simultaneous transthoracic ASD occlusion of atrial fibrillation, with good postoperative results.