Left atrial epicardial ablation associated to a Bentall procedure

Aortic coarctation is quite a common congenital disease and very often associated with other cardiac malformations. A 21-year-old patient presented to our observation with aortic coarctation, aortic valve regurgitation on a dilated aortic root and chronic atrial fibrillation. We performed a two-step operation: the aortic coarctation was treated first and 1 month later a Bentall procedure associated to an epicardial ablation was performed. Since most of the ablation was performed before aortic cross clamping, the ischemic time was only slightly increased. At 3 months follow-up the patient is still on normal sinus rhythm.