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Updated: Jul 23, 2026

The WATCHMAN Left Atrial Appendage Closure Device for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 28, 2012
Atrial fibrillation: current surgical options and their assessment
A Marc Gillinov1, Eugene H Blackstone, Patrick M McCarthy
1Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA. gillinom@ccf.org
Abstract:
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with morbidity and mortality. Traditional surgical treatment of AF is the Cox-Maze III procedure, a complicated operation. New surgical approaches include alternate energy sources (radiofrequency, microwave, cryothermy) and simplified left atrial lesion sets. These operations cure AF in 70% to 80% of patients. This review describes contemporary and emerging surgical approaches to AF, synthesizes results of these operations, and proposes new standards for reporting results of AF treatment.
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