Posted by Carl Plaskett on November 08, 2001 at 11:08:41:
In Reply to: Ablation vs Maze posted by TC on November 08, 2001 at 09:43:50:
TC: A number of us mazers have had similar backgrounds:
Afib and Aflutter. Your doctor is right that an ablation often, or even usually, improves Aflutter; and often lessens the frequency of Afib, which unfortunately, is usually for only a brief time (In my case, several weeks). Apparently a number of people's afib incidents are often preceded by Aflutter, which then sets off afib.
Recent developments with ablation equipment have shown some good promise, unless the "problem" area is difficult to reach. It will be a few years before we know how long they last.
There appears to be a risk of stenosis and/or stroke with ablations which is considerably higher than the same risk with the maze. Of course the maze has additional risks, infection being the primary one, and a few mazers have developed infections while in the hospital.
If you consider the maze, I would suggest going somewhere that performs transplants, mazes, and the like on a daily basis. I feel that they probably go that extra mile re: cleanliness, etc., since it is so imperative with these surgeries.There is no question that the maze has nearly twice the success rate of even the most recent ablation techniques.