Alexian Brothers Cardiovascular Institute -
A NEW option for Atrial Fibrillation patients who fail traditional medical management

An estimated 2.5 million patients in the United States are suffering from Atrial Fibrillation (AF)*, and this number is expected to more than double in the coming decades. An estimated 300,000 new cases of AF are diagnosed each year.

As you know, many patients do not respond well to medical therapy, such as blood thinners and anti-arrhythmic drugs. Therefore, they need an alternative.

Typically, when AF is surgically treated it is done by using invasive, open heart surgery. Now there is a new option—the Wolf Mini-maze® TM procedure. This closed chest, minimally invasive procedure offers an 80-90% long-term success rate and freedom from life long dependence on blood thinners. It may also reduce the risk of stroke, because the left atrial appendage is removed.

Wolf Mini-maze Procedure

The Wolf Mini-maze takes on average 5 hours to complete. A team including a cardiothoracic surgeon and an electrophysiologist performs two procedures at the same time. Minimally-invasive incisions are made on each side of the chest and a micro-miniature camera is inserted to guide surgeons toward their target.

By using the special “bi-polar” radiofrequency clamp, the surgeon navigates, ablates and electronically isolates the pulmonary veins—where AF triggers originate.

The special “bi-polar” radio frequency clamp performs the ablation in 8-12 seconds. Ablation blocks the triggers and eliminates sources for AF.

Patient Benefits

The Wolf Mini-maze has many benefits including:

  • Less invasive procedure
    • No open heart surgery—three incisions on each side of the chest
    • Heart and lung machine not needed
  • Faster recover time—2 to 3 days in the hospital
  • Less pain for patients
  • Freedom from life-long dependence on blood thinners
  • Long-term success
  • Reduced risk of stroke

For more information about Wolf Mini-maze or the Alexian Brothers Cardiovascular Institute, please call AlexianConnects at 1-866-253-9426.

 

*Journal of American Medical Association, 2001