Atrial fibrillation is a dysrhythmia with lethal complications afflicting thousands of people each year. Unfortunately, atrial fibrillation is frequently resistant to medical therapy and other nonsurgical treatments, such as cardioversion and catheter ablation. Past surgical procedures to correct the dysrhythmia have also proved ineffective. A surgical procedure has been developed in which multiple incisions are made in the atrium, creating an electrical maze. The maze procedure restores atrioventricular synchrony while simultaneously preventing macroreentry within the atria. It thereby eliminates the clinical sequelae often associated with atrial fibrillation and improves the quality of life for those patients refractory to current methods of treatment
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
1 February 1992
Complex Dysrhythmias|
February 01 1992
The Maze Procedure: A New Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation
Lisa M. Sorenson, RN;
*From the Cardiac Stepdown Unit, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.
Reprint requests to Lisa M. Sorenson, RN, 6328 Ridgebury Blvd. Mayfield Heights, OH 44124.
Search for other works by this author on:
Claudia M. Vulich, RN, BSN;
Claudia M. Vulich, RN, BSN
*From the Cardiac Stepdown Unit, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.
Search for other works by this author on:
Ellen Strauss McErlean, RN, MSN, CCRN;
Ellen Strauss McErlean, RN, MSN, CCRN
†From the Departments of Cardiothoracic Nursing, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.
Search for other works by this author on:
Patrick M. McCarthy, MD
Patrick M. McCarthy, MD
‡From the Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.
Search for other works by this author on:
AACN Adv Crit Care (1992) 3 (1): 209–217.
Citation
Lisa M. Sorenson, Claudia M. Vulich, Ellen Strauss McErlean, Patrick M. McCarthy; The Maze Procedure: A New Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation. AACN Adv Crit Care 1 February 1992; 3 (1): 209–217. doi: https://doi.org/10.4037/15597768-1992-1026
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Short-term Access
Purchase short-term access on a pay-per-article or pay-per-issue basis.
$15 72 - hour single article access $30 7 - day full issue access
.svg?versionId=1589)