Arrythmia is a disorder which causes the heart to beat irregularly. Normally, a heartbeat is triggered by an electrical impulse. When this electrical impulse is side-tracked, an "atrial fibrillation" occurs. There are three methods of treatment for atrial fibrillation: medications, catheter-based procedures, and surgery. Patients experiencing increasingly problematic fibrillations, or patients whose fibrillation is associated with other cardiac disease, are appropriate candidates for surgical correction. The procedure for atrial fibrillation control is known as the MAZE procedure, named for maze-like patterns created in the heart during surgery. These patterns prevent future "side-tracking" of the electrical impulse by leaving lines of scar on specific areas of the heart. The lines of scar forces the impulse to follow a regular path, causing your heart to beat regularly. The Maze procedure is well tolerated and highly effective in most patients. | 
Florida Advanced Cardiothoracic Surgery