Maze Procedure
The Maze procedure is a surgical ablation used to treat atrial fibrillation that has
not responded to medication and other treatments. It may be done during open
heart surgery or as a minimally invasive procedure.
With atrial fibrillation, the sinus node does not start the electrical signal that
controls the heart’s beating. Signals come from many areas in the upper chambers
(atria) — sending extra electrical signals that cause the heart to beat too fast and
irregularly. The atria quiver or “fibrillate.”
The surgeon uses an energy source to make scar tissue or ablations, to block the
extra electrical signals. Because scar tissue doesn’t carry electricity, it interferes
with the electrical impulses causing atrial fibrillation.
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