Durable staged hybrid ablation with thoracoscopic and percutaneous approach for treatment of long-standing atrial fibrillation: a 30-month assessment with continuous monitoring.

OBJECTIVES: Electrophysiologic and surgical procedures to treat stand-alone atrial fibrillation (AF) have recently evolved, but disappointing results in patients with long-standing persistent (LSP) AF have challenged the durability of these procedures.
METHODS: Lone AF patients (n = 36) with either LSP-AF (n = 28) or persistent AF (n = 8) were prospectively enrolled in the study and consecutively treated by thoracoscopic ablation followed by electrophysiologic evaluation 30 days afterward. Mean left atrial dimension was 50.3 ± 5.5 mm, and average AF duration was 72.8 months (range, 7-240 months). The thoracoscopic procedure was a right monolateral approach to create a box lesion using a temperature-controlled radiofrequency device with suction adherence. A continuous rhythm monitoring device was implanted at the end of the operation.
RESULTS: Thoracoscopic ablation was successfully completed without morbidity or mortality and without any intensive care unit stay. Intraoperative exit and entrance block was achieved in 100% and 88.8% (32/36) of patients, respectively. At 33 ± 2 days after the operation, an electrophysiologic study confirmed entry-exit block in 83.3% (30/36) whereas pulmonary vein reconnections were observed in 16.7% (6/36) of patients. Additional transcatheter lesions were performed in 61.1% (22/36) of patients. At a mean follow-up of 30 months (range, 1-58 months), 91.6% (33/36) of patients are in sinus rhythm with 77.7% (28/36) of these patients off antiarrhythmic drugs and 88.8% (32/36) free of warfarin. Long-term incidence of left atrial flutter was 0%.
CONCLUSIONS: The combination of a surgical box lesion and transcatheter ablation in a hybrid approach provided excellent durable clinical outcomes in patients with LSP-AF.