Clinical Result of Epicardial Pulmonary Vein Isolation (LAVIE) by Cryoablation as Concomitant Cardiac Operation and Clinical Application of New Ablation Device (KIRC-119 Infrared Coagulator) to Treat Atrial Fibrillation

Maze surgery is widely used to treat atrial fibrillation but requires cardiopulmonary bypass and longer aortic cross-clamping time. Percutaneous transcatheter pulmonary vein isolation or catheter-based maze procedure are time consuming and relies on fluoroscopy and contrast media, and pulmonary vein obstruction and cardiac tamponade are still major problems. Although thoracoscopic minimally invasive epicardial pulmonary vein isolation using a radiofrequency device is also widely accepted, the device has the weakness to ablate the free wall of the atrium. To overcome these drawbacks, new ablation devices and techniques were developed using two kinds of energy source.