The Maze III Surgical Procedure

Abstract

The maze III procedure is a surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation (A fib), a rhythm problem in which the heart's upper chambers (i.e., atria) beat rapidly and irregularly, sometimes beating more than 400 times per minute. Approximately 10% of Americans older than 60 years of age suffer from A fib. The maze procedure was designed to create a maze on the atria with multiple incisions that allow sinus rhythm to be conducted to the atrioventricular node without creating a reentry circuit. Currently, it is not a widely used procedure, but its popularity continues to increase. The maze III procedure generally is reserved as a treatment of last resort for a patient with A-fib that is unresponsive to medication therapy, electrical cardioversion, surgical ablation, or pacemaker implantation. The maze III procedure, performed as open-heart surgery, has a high success rate for sustaining normal heart rhythms, usually without the need for a pacemaker; however, all other medical and nonsurgical treatment options are exhausted before the maze III procedure is performed.