Surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality, and enormous socio-economic consequences. Though many surgical procedures exist for the treatment ofAF, the Cox-Maze IV procedure developed at Washington University has shown excellent long-term results in diverse patient populations. Furthermore, advances in preoperative diagnostic technology currently under investigation at our institution may allow for further refinement and individualization of the surgical treatment ofAF in the future.