Why is this procedure done?
The heart has an electrical system that sends signals to the heart. These tell the heart to beat and contract in a normal pattern. If the pattern is not normal or regular, it is an arrhythmia. Your heart may beat faster or slower than normal. ‚
Arrhythmia may be due to abnormal electrical activity in the heart. If this condition is not treated the right way, it may cause health problems like: ‚
- Less blood flow
- Stroke
- Weakened heart
- Blood clot
- Irregular heartbeat
Atrial fibrillation is a kind of arrhythmia in which the heart beats irregularly. This may cause blood to collect in the heart. If the collected blood does not move because the heartbeat is not regular, a blood clot may form. Blood clots block off blood flow to parts of the body like the heart, brain, and legs. ‚
Maze is a surgery done to treat atrial fibrillation. The surgery is done to make your heartbeat regular. You may need Maze surgery if you have not responded to other types of treatment or are at a higher risk for stroke. In some cases, the doctor puts a pacemaker underneath your skin at the same time. This will help control your heartbeat. ‚
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What will the results be?
- Improved heartbeat and rhythm
- Lower risk of stroke
- Improved heart function
- Improved signs and quality of life
- Better blood flow to the body
What happens before the procedure?
- Your doctor will take your history. Talk to the doctor about:
- All the drugs you are taking. Be sure to include all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, and herbal supplements. Tell the doctor about any drug allergy. Bring a list of drugs you take with you.
- Any bleeding problems. Be sure to tell your doctor if you are taking any drugs that may cause bleeding. Some of these are Coumadin ‚ ®, ibuprofen, Aleve ‚ ® (naproxen), or aspirin. Certain vitamins and herbs, such as garlic and fish oil, may also add to the risk for bleeding. You may need to stop these drugs as well. Talk to your doctor about them.
- If you need to stop eating or drinking before your procedure.
- If you are not feeling well. An infection from a cold or sore throat may raise the risk of infection.
- If you need to go to the hospital the day before your procedure.
- You may be asked to take a bath with a special soap. This will help to lower the amount of germs on your skin.
- Your doctor will do an exam and may order:
- Lab tests
- Ultrasound
- Angiogram
- MRA
- CT Angiography
- Chest x-ray
- Echocardiogram
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Cardiac cath
- You will not be allowed to drive right away after the procedure. Ask a family member or a friend to drive you home.
What happens during the procedure?
- Once you are in the operating room, the staff will put an I.V. in your arm to give you fluids and drugs. You will be given a drug to make you sleepy. It will also help you stay pain free during the surgery.
- When you are asleep, the doctors put a tube in your mouth to help you breathe.
- The doctor may place other I.V. lines in your arms or neck to give you drugs and fluids during surgery.
- The doctor will make a long cut in the middle of your chest so that the heart can be seen. A heart and lung bypass machine will be connected. This machine will act as your heart and lungs as your heart will need to be stopped for the surgery.
- The doctor will make some small cuts in the upper part of the heart. The cuts will make a maze-like pattern to guide the electrical signal to the wanted destination. In turn, these cuts will make scars. These scars do not have any electrical signals. They will stop other stray electrical signals.
- The doctor will close these cuts with stitches. In some cases, the doctor may use freezing or heating methods to make the scars.
- Your doctor will close your chest and your cut with stitches or staples and cover it with clean bandages.
- Your doctor may also put a pacemaker in place during this same surgery. This is done if there are other problems with the electricity of the heart. The doctor may place wires for a short-term pacemaker during surgery. The doctor removes the wires later after your heart rhythm is better.
- The procedure takes 3 to 4 hours.
What happens after the procedure?
- You will go to the Intensive Care Unit after surgery and the staff will watch you closely. You may need to stay there for a few days for careful watching of your condition.
- The staff will take out your breathing tube when you are awake and strong enough to breathe. The staff will give you drugs in your I.V. to keep you sleepy while the breathing tube is in place. You may have a sore throat afterwards.
- You will feel pain after the surgery. The staff will give you drugs through an I.V. line to help the pain.
- You will be taken to a regular room when your condition is stable.
- Within a day or two, you will get out of bed to a chair. The staff will help you start to walk around. Doing coughing and deep breathing exercises will help keep your lungs clear. Put a pillow against your chest when you cough and take deep breaths.
- You may need to stay in the hospital for a few weeks or longer if you have problems.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Control heartbeat
- Control your blood pressure
- Prevent or fight an infection
- Prevent blood clots
What problems could happen?
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Blood clots
- Weakening or failure of other organs
- Stroke
- Problems with heartbeat
- Pneumonia
- Death
When do I need to call the doctor?
Activate the emergency medical system right away if you have signs of a heart attack or stroke. Call 911 in the United States or Canada. The sooner treatment begins, the better your chances for recovery. Call for emergency help right away if you have: ‚
- Signs of heart attack:
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- Fast heartbeat
- Feeling dizzy
- Signs of stroke:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Call your doctor if you have: ‚
- Signs of a bad reaction. These include trouble breathing; chest tightness; fever; itching; blue skin color; seizures, or swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat. Go to the ER right away.
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, very bad sore throat, cough, more sputum or change in color of sputum, pain with passing urine.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Pain, upset stomach, or throwing up that is not helped by the drugs you are taking
Where can I learn more?
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons ‚
http://www.sts.org/patient-information/arrhythmia-surgery/atrial-fibrillation-surgery ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚