In 2021, the Cardiac Surgery team at St. Michael’s Hospital was the first in Ontario to complete a minimally invasive maze procedure to treat atrial fibrillation – the most common type of irregular heart rhythm. St. Michael’s Hospital now has the largest minimally invasive cardiac surgical program in Toronto, and the only one in the country offering hybrid ablation.
TLN Media Group Host Antonio Giorgi sat down with Dr. Gianluigi Bisleri, the Cardiac Surgeon at St. Michael’s who performed the first-in-Canada heart procedure, to discuss how the minimally invasive method achieves the same results as the traditional maze procedure but uses less invasive endoscopy techniques, thus improving care for patients with atrial fibrillation in Ontario who require surgical intervention.
Although the maze procedure is an effective surgical treatment for atrial fibrillation, it’s highly invasive and requires a lengthy recovery time. The minimally invasive technique is a procedure that uses a small catheter to deliver energy to the heart, destroying the heart tissue that causes an irregular rhythm. This will help patients with atrial fibrillation who haven’t found success with other treatment options, including medication and transcatheter ablation.
