Posted by Jack Drum on February 07, 2003 at 22:19:02:
In Reply to: Re: On to the Cleveland Clinic posted by Jim Matthews on February 05, 2003 at 18:38:28:
Mike, the criteria for the maze varies from surgeon to surgeon. There has been several on the maze board who were not chronic when they had the maze.
Myself and several others had Lone Paroxysmal AF, but no longer wanted to live with the debilitation of the AF, and did not want to endure the medication route any longer. I admit that my quality of life was severely damaged by the AF or I would of not give in to the maze, but it was the best decision I ever made.Here is what is on one of the CC's web pages.
http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/atrial_fibrillation/maze.htm
Who will benefit from the Maze Procedure?
Not all patients with atrial fibrillation are candidates for the Maze procedure. Those who can benefit from the Maze procedure include those with atrial fibrillation:who have symptoms, but medications fail to control the rhythm
who are at high risk for embolic events (blood clots, stroke)
for more than 6 months with an enlarged left atrium
who are already undergoing mitral valve or other cardiac surgery
Even if you have one or more of these conditions, you will still need to be evaluated for the surgery. The surgeon and you make the final decision if you are a candidate for the Maze procedure