Someday the treatment could be used to replace certain types of heart surgery with a 15-minute office procedure. The patient is being discharged today - less than a week after surgery.
Atrial fibrillation is a rapid, erratic beating of the heart's upper chamber.
It affects about 2 million Americans and has been linked to stroke as well as increased mortality risks. It's the most common heart rhythm problem leading to a hospital stay. The cardiovascular surgeon who performed the operation, Dr. David Kress, says the patient is doing well and shows no signs of atrial fibrillation or flutter. The technique is called Intraoperative Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation. It involves a special catheter probe with electrodes and thermocouples.