Posted by Carl Plaskett on July 11, 2002 at 22:47:22:
In Reply to: amiodarone post maze posted by Pete Tabolt on July 10, 2002 at 22:59:51:
I've got to kind of agree with Jack and John, in that it SEEMS as though those of us who have had more of the cut 'n sew routine with some cryo ablation as well, have had fewer post-maze complications. I emphasize, as did John, there is NO scientific study supporting this "theory", just the observations of watching those who have gone before us and after us.
Those of us who had the full open chest routine again, SEEMED to have had more of the "older" technique, which was developed by Dr. Cox. When I visited with him last month, he said that the success rate for those mazers has been very high, with few post maze arrhythmias ( I AM recalling a conversation of nearly 3 hours, under the influence of a couple of gin and tonics, so don't hold me to EXACT quotes).I would like those of you who did have the "open chest" routine to post follow-ups as to what your experience was, post-maze, and those who had the less invasive procedure, which seems to have involved less cut 'n sew and cryo ablation, to provide your post-maze experiences. AGAIN, this is not meant to be a scientific sampling, just curiosity!
Recognizing that doctors/surgeons are trying to make this procedure less "threatening" to patients, I have posted below, an email I got from Dr. Cox a few days ago about the progress being made in this direction. It is pretty exciting stuff, for sure! Would I have been better to have waited for this to come? Heck (I started to be more profane) NO! I would give anything for the feeling of the last 17 months, and only wish that I had undergone the maze earlier, so I could have gotten more of this wonderful new life! The pain and recovery were NOTHING, compared to the joy of NSR.
I AM however, very excited about what appears to be coming with the Maze procedure, even though it might be a couple of years away for most people. If I had it to do over again and knew that the results I have had were going to happen, I would go for the "older" Cox Maze III, rather than wait for NSR, the feeling is THAT GREAT!
Dr. Cox's message:
Dear Carl,
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you. I've been travelling extensively (NYC, LA, San Francisco, etc.) since I saw
you. When I was in the Bay Area last week, we went over to Cal-Berkeley and did an animal experiment using our new device for
A-Fib. It is ready to use in patients right now! It will probably not be a true outpatient procedure yet but I would predict a
hospitalization of 1-2 days. It can be done through a very small chest incision and most importantly it is performed without the need
for the heart-lung machine, i.e., it is no longer an "open-heart" procedure. I am extremely excited about the new technique. During
the next several months, we will be getting FDA approval for its use (shouldn't be too hard) and will be training surgeons how to do
the procedure. We plan to set up the training programs in Naples so that I can train the surgeons myself without travelling across
the country every few days.
I would not wish to raise any false hopes but if you wish, it is OK with me if you want to discuss these new developments
(which are still on the horizon, but close) with your other "Mazers". This might be a stimulus for the get-together of past and future
"Mazers".
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting both you and Barbara and will look forward to seeing you again.
J. Cox
ps: I spoke at length with Bruce Schaeffer and l also left a message on Karl Wickstrom's answering machine. Thanks for giving me
their numbers.