Overview
The University of Tennessee Medical Center offers the Mini-Maze procedure, a type of minimally invasive surgery that brings hope to atrial fibrillation patients for whom no reasonable cure existed.
More than two million people in the United States suffer from atrial fibrillation (AFib or AF), reports the American Heart Association. There are more than 300,000 new cases of atrial fibrillation diagnosed each year. Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke fivefold and is a major contributor to the development of congestive heart failure as well as more serious, life-threatening arrhythmias.
The Mini-Maze procedure can correct atrial fibrillation, a common form of heart rhythm abnormality and a major cause of stroke. Experience to date indicates that the Mini-Maze surgery eliminates atrial fibrillation in more than 85 percent of patients who undergo the surgery.
