First experience of treating patients with atrial fibrillation using thoracoscopic isolation with left atrial appendage excision in the North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov

The given article describes the first experience of a thoracoscopic isolation of pulmonary veins and left atrial appendage excision in the North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov. The clinical case features a woman with a long history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, severe left atrium dilation, failure in a pace control drug therapy and no effect of radiofrequency catheter isolation of pulmonary veins. Additionally, there outlined the advantages and the significance of employing the method of thoracoscopic ablation in patients with symptomatic paroxysmal and long-term persistent atrial fibrillation, — in case if antiarrythmic drugs and radiofrequency catheter ablation proved ineffective, as well as in patients with a long-term persistent atrial fibrillation along with a severe left atrium dilation.