Cox maze III procedure: The best alternative in surgery for atrial fibrillation

A prospective randomized trial of the cut-and-sew Maze procedure in patients undergoing surgery for rheumatic mitral valve disease

“…8 In general, the cut-and-sew Maze III procedure (CSM) is considered the gold standard for surgical management of AF because of the ensured transmurality, especially for those cases involving mitral valve disease and a thick left atrial wall. [9][10][11][12] Unfortunately, CSM is still viewed as a complex and high-risk procedure, and most surgeons are reluctant to perform it during cardiac operations. A possible source of this reluctance may be related to the limited available evidence, with the majority of studies related to the impact of the CSM on operative risk observational studies instead of prospective randomized controlled trials.…”