Tachycardia: Difference between revisions

*** <b>Surgical treatment:</b> Surgery is a more invasive, but more effective modality to treat atrial fibrillation. The classical cut and sew Maze procedure is a open chest procedure that requires extra-corporeal circulation. In this procedure the atrium is cut and sewn again to compartmentalize the atrium en therefore prevent the atrium maintaining atrial fibrillation. In recent years a less invasive procedure has developed to treat atrial fibrillation. This minimal invasive surgery is performed through thoractomy or thoracoscopy and is performed on a beating heart. A pulmonary vein isolation is performed with a clamp and if patients have persistent atrial fibrillation additional left atrial lessions are made on the atrium to compartmentalize the atrium. Finally the left atrial appendage is removed to reduce the occurrence of stroke. This procedure has a success rate of 68% after one year.

* <b>Anticoagluation treatment:</b> Proper anti-coagulation is important in patients with atrial fibrillation to reduce the occurence of stroke. In patient with atrial fibrillation the indication of anti-coagulation is based on certain risk-factors a patients has. A score is created to fascilitate this descision making. The CHADS₂VASc score incorporates the following risk factors:

If a patient has 2 minor points or 1 major point anti-coagulation with coumarins is indicated. If a patient has no indication for coumarins no anti-coagulation is necessary.