Long-Term Follow-Up of Cardiac Rhythm in 320 Patients After the Cox-Maze III Procedure for Atrial Fibrillation

Abstract

The Cox-maze III (CM-III) procedure is the gold standard for surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). Excellent short-term results have been reported, but long-term outcomes are lesser known. The aim was to evaluate current cardiac rhythm in a nationwide cohort of CM-III patients with very long follow-up. Perioperative characteristics were retrospectively analyzed in 536 "cut-and-sew" CM-III patients operated on from 1994 to 2009 in 4 centers. Of these, 54 patients had died and 20 were unavailable at follow-up. The remaining 462 patients received a survey concerning arrhythmia symptoms, rhythm, and medication; of these, 320 patients (69%), comprising 252 men, with a mean age of 67 years (range, 47 to 87 years), and 83% with stand-alone CM-III, returned a current 12-lead electrocardiogram. Long-term monitoring was evaluated in 40 sinus rhythm patients. Postoperative stroke/transient ischemic attack was evaluated by register analysis. Mean follow-up was 111 ± 44 months (range, 36-223 months). Electrocardiogram analysis showed sinus rhythm in 219 of 320 patients (68%), and regular supraventricular rhythm (sinus, nodal, or atrial pacing) in 262 (82%), with 75% off class I/III antiarrhythmic medication. This group had lower arrhythmia symptom scores and medication use. Rhythm outcome did not differ by gender, age, type of AF, or stand-alone vs concomitant operation. Patients with more than 10 years of follow-up had a lower rate of regular supraventricular rhythm (69% vs 91%, p = 0.02). Long-term monitoring showed freedom from AF/atrial flutter in 38 of 40 patients (95%). The incidence of stroke/transient ischemic attack was 0.37% per year (11 patients). In a single-moment electrocardiogram evaluation 9 years after the cut-and-sew CM-III, 82% of patients were in sinus rhythm or other regular supraventricular rhythm. These findings support a long-lasting positive effect of the CM-III procedure, which is relevant when evaluating current nonpharmacologic therapies for AF.