Treating Atrial Fibrillation Is No MAZE: A Reminder To Heart Teams For Concomitant Surgical Ablation For Atrial Fibrillation With Cardiac Surgery.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent arrythmia and is often found during time of other cardiac pathologies which require surgical management including coronary revascularization and valve surgery. Surgical ablation of AF, most frequently performed via the Cox-Maze IV procedure, is highly effective in restoring sinus rhythm. Despite robust society guideline recommendations for concomitant surgical ablation (CSA) for AF, the practice has yet to be widely adopted. In this review, we discuss the current indications for CSA, its efficacy in maintaining freedom from atrial tachyarrhythmias, stroke, and adverse long-term outcomes, the safety profile of SA when performed alongside cardiac surgical cases, and challenges with its implementation across the most common concomitant cardiac operations. In conclusion, we present a reminder to multidisciplinary heart teams to consider CSA when indicated for their patients.