Atrial fibrillation frequently occurs in patients with damaged heart valves as well as in patients with other illnesses. Its manifestation is palpitation due to rapid heart rates, the pathology of which is a short cut of electrical current in the upper heart chambers. The heart rate rises up to 160-180 beats/min. and occasionally results in low blood pressure and shock. The aims of initial treatment are to regulate the rhythm and slow the heart rate with medications. If no satisfactory response occurs, then application of electrical current to interrupt the passage of the short cut would be the treatment of choice. This is done by inserting a small catheter from the inguinal region to the right upper chamber of the heart. To reach the left side is much more difficult, very time-consuming and with a low success rate. So, in certain cases, surgery is needed. It could be carried out at the same time as valve surgery, or can be for atrial fibrillation only and is called, “Lone atrial fibrillation operation.” It is done in patients without valve problems. It can be done via endoscopy, or using the robotic system. Three separate holes are made on the chest wall. Special instruments are used to make the ablation of the electrical pathway on both the right and left sides of the atrial septum. The modalities used, could be energy from radio frequency, microwave, or supercryogenicity from liquid nitrogen. The success rate of surgical ablation for arrhythmia is around 80-90%.

At Bangkok Heart Hospital , using robotic surgery with a small skin incision, patients recover rapidly and can return to work within 1 week after the surgery.