Posted by Carl Plaskett on October 08, 2002 at 23:17:45:
In Reply to: Open Question: WHY? posted by Dan on October 08, 2002 at 22:31:56:
Dan: Well, you've asked a question not unlike "How long is a piece of string?", but I would say that for MOST of us, it was a "quality of life" (and potential length of life) issue.
Certainly you should NOT consider the maze or perhaps any potential surgical/catheter cure if afib and/or drugs are not degrading your life. You should try eliminating afib "triggers" as a first step. Drugs (in moderate dosages) would be my second step.Keep in mind that most sufferers of afib end up with the incidents becoming more frequent/severe, which results in many physicians prescribing different (read "stronger") drugs or larger doses. No drug has been determined to "cure" afib. They ALL have side effects.
In my case, the depression caused by the drugs and my inability to be active, the considerable loss of pulmonary function, gray color, vision problems, excessive bleeding/bruising, hair loss, etc. led me to the decision to try the maze. I had just plain given up hope for "getting my life back."
I have had no afib since leaving the hospital 20+ months ago, I can do almost anything and more than most at age 61, and I take no drugs. Was it worth the small risk presented by going to a top center? You bet!!
Finally, there are many, many 100s of "mazers" in the U.S.and their numbers are probably growing by at least a dozen or two each week.
I know of no deaths attributable to the Cox Maze III in the last 8-10 years. I believe the death risk from the maze at the most experienced centers is much less than 1%, based upon their cummulative experience.
The risk of death from complications of afib and the drugs is considerably higher.