14th International Congress
THE "NEW FRONTIERS"
OF ARRHYTHMIAS 2000

Jan. 29 - Feb. 5, 2000
Marilleva, Trento, Italy

RT-97

Electrophysiologic evaluation after open chest endocardial radiofrequency pulmonary veins isolation

Giuseppe Inama, Angelo Graffigna*, Luigi Martinelli*, Pietro Gazzaniga, Daniela Tovena, Marcello Disertori**.
Divisione di Cardiologia, Ospedale Maggiore, Crema, *Divisione di Cardiochirurgia, **Divisione di Cardiologia, Ospedale S.Chiara, Trento, Italy

Methods

From February 1998 to April 1999 fifteen pts (9 female and 6 male) with chronic atrial fibrillation and mitral valve disease underwent intraoperative radiofrequency of atrial fibrillation by means of endocardial pulmonary veins isolation. Using a standard approach, under cardiopulmonary by-pass with bi-caval cannulation, warm cardioplegia was administered. Through left superior atriotomy radiofrequency energy was now applied encircling the two right and the two left pulmonary veins, using an ablation catheter Medtronic or Cordis Webster 7F 2-5-2 with distal tip of 4 mm modified and fluid irrigated to provide a pen-like device. The energy was continually delivered at 30-50 Watts from a power generator (Medtronic Atacr) with a median procedure time of 12 mins. Cryoablation of the posterior aspect of the coronary sinus was also performed. All the pts were studied through the epicardic wires in the following days after the operation^4,5. The epicardic wires were positioned in the right atrium, in the right ventricle and in the left atrium inside the isolated zone. We introduced also a transesophageal catheter to pace and recover the left atrium during the study.