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Updated: May 30, 2025
Catheter Ablation in Combination With Left Atrial Appendage Closure for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: February 26, 2013
Usefulness of Artificial Pneumothorax during Totally Endoscopic Off-Pump Left Atrial Appendage Closure and Surgical
Shunsuke Sato1, Takashi Azami1, Jun Fujisue1
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Yodogawa Christian Hospital, Osaka, Osaka, Japan.
Purpose:
In totally endoscopic off-pump left atrial appendage (LAA) closure and surgical ablation, securing the operative field is sometimes difficult in some patients because of a narrow working space caused by an elevated diaphragm or ventricles. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a method that facilitates securing the operative field using an artificial pneumothorax.
Methods:
We analyzed 71 consecutive patients who underwent totally endoscopic off-pump LAA closure and bilateral pulmonary vein isolation. The factors contributing to the reduction in operative time were examined. The patients were divided into the following 2 groups according to whether or not an artificial pneumothorax was used: Group C comprised 24 patients without an artificial pneumothorax and Group A comprised 47 patients with an artificial pneumothorax.
Results:
There were no hospital deaths or major complications. The operative time was significantly shorter in Group A (108 ± 26 minutes) than in Group C (198 ± 77 minutes) (p <0.0001).
Conclusions:
In totally endoscopic off-pump LAA closure and surgical ablation, an artificial pneumothorax may be useful in reducing the operative time.
